Draco and Hermione
by Lazaraz
Summary: After Hermione is captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, she escapes with Draco. They must work together to end the war, return to Hogwarts as eighth years, unite the four Houses and become Professors - while slowly falling in love in the process. DMHG.
1. Chapter 1 Part One

**~ PART ONE ~**

**of**

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

_Narcissa looked up at him, her face eloquent with despair._

_"Yes, Severus. I — I think you are the only one who can help me, I have nowhere else to turn. Lucius is in jail and…"_

_She closed her eyes and two large tears seeped from beneath her eyelids._

_"The Dark Lord has forbidden me to speak of it," Narcissa continued, her eyes still closed._

_"He wishes none to know of the plan. It is… very secret. But —"_

_"If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak," said Snape at once. "The Dark Lord's word is law."_

_"Severus," she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. "My son… my only son…"_

_"But what help do you require, Narcissa? If you are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I am afraid there is no hope, none at all."_

_Narcissa began to cry in earnest, gazing beseechingly all the while at Snape._

_"The Dark Lord will not be persuaded, and I am not stupid enough to attempt it," said Snape flatly. "I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry with Lucius. Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He got himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve the prophecy into the bargain. Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa, very angry indeed."_

_"Then I am right, he has chosen Draco in revenge!" choked Narcissa. "He does not mean him to succeed, he wants him to be killed trying!"_

* * *

"_I haven't got any options!" said Malfoy, and he was suddenly as white as Dumbledore. "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"_

"_I can help you, Draco."_

"_No, you can't," said Malfoy, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."_

"_Come over to the right side, Draco... you are not a killer..."_

* * *

"_Well, Draco?" said Lucius Malfoy. He sounded avid. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"_

"_I can't – I can't be sure," said Draco._

"_But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!"_

"_There's something there," Lucius whispered, "it could be the scar, stretched tight... Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?"_

_Harry saw Draco's face up close now, right beside his father's. They were extraordinarily alike, except while his father looked beside himself with excitement, Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear._

"_I don't know," he said, and he walked away towards the fireplace where his mother stood watching._

* * *

_"No," agreed Dumbledore. "You are a braver man by far than Igor Karkaroff. You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon…"_

_He walked away, leaving Snape looking stricken…_

* * *

"_It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."_

A true saying, it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Draco was ordered to kill Dumbledore, but he chose not to do it at the last moment. Draco was ordered to identify Harry when he was captured, but he chose not to do it. Not all Slytherin's are evil and dark wizards - Regulus Black is proof of this, Severus Snape is proof of this, and Draco Malfoy is also proof of this. In the last two books, Draco's choices define him as someone forced to do things against his will. Despite being a bully in the early books, his choices in the later books define him as a misunderstood and rather unfortunate person. If the storyline changed just a tiny bit, would it be possible to create something very different?

Read on and find out, I hope you enjoy my story. :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Come on Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it? Vol-"

"HARRY, NO!"

"-demort's after the Elder Wand!"

"The name's Tabooed!" Ron bellowed, leaping to his feet as a loud _crack_ sounded outside the tent. "I told you, Harry, I told you, we can't say it anymore - we've got to put the protection back around us - quickly - it's how they find-"

But Ron stopped talking, and Harry knew why. The Sneakoscope on the table had lit up and begun to spin; they could hear voices coming nearer and nearer: rough, excited voices. Ron pulled the Deluminator out of his pocket and clicked it: their lamps went out.

"Come out of there with your hands up!" came a rasping voice through the darkness. "We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!"

Harry looked round at the other two, now mere outlines in the darkness. He saw Hermione point her wand, not towards outside, but towards him and Ron; she murmured a very quiet _'Petrificus Totalus'_. Suddenly his body went rigid and he fell backwards, hitting the ground silently. He felt Ron land right beside him, just as silently as he did. He attempted to move, to scream, to call out to Hermione, but he couldn't move a muscle. A second later and a cloak was thrown over them both, and he realized that it was the Invisibility cloak.

He could tell that Ron was frantic beside him also, but they were powerless. Harry remembered the last time this had happened to him. Dumbledore had used the full body binding curse on him, with the Invisibility cloak to hide him from the Death Eaters, on the Astronomy tower before Dumbledore died. Hermione just did the same thing, she'd done it to hide her two best friends... was she going to die? Hermione cast another spell on herself, which made her hair turn blonde and her eyes a bright blue colour, obviously an attempt to disguise herself. Harry almost wanted to cry as he made eye contact with Hermione, her eyes were saying, _'Sorry, but you have to live and defeat Voldemort. This is the only way.'_

Before he could even blink, her wand shot out of her hand and she was pulled out of the tent by rough hands.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" said the same rasping voice from outside. Harry's stomach turned over. It was Fenrir Greyback.

"Who were you talking to, girl? Are there others inside the tent?" Greyback demanded suspiciously, looking inside wearily and expecting there to be others.

"N-no, I'm travelling alone-"

"Check the tent!" Greyback growled, not trusting a word of what Hermione said. Harry squirmed as he waited to be found. A man walked into the tent, and began searching all over the place - but he didn't see Harry or Ron lying on the ground in plain sight, underneath the Invisibility cloak. In a strange way, Harry wished the man would just find them, so that they could be with Hermione. But after a few moments, the man in the tent shouted, "All clear!"

"So, travelling in the woods all alone are we girly?" Greyback rasped quietly, as if he was whispering it in her ear. Harry was sick to the stomach and desperately wanted to move.

"Careful Greyback. We should watch who we're attacking-" a man named Scabior warned.

"I won't bite just yet. Let's hear her name first," the werewolf rasped. There was a pause before Hermione replied.

"Penelope Clearwater," she said the first name that came to mind, and sounded rather terrified. Penelope Clearwater was a blonde haired Ravenclaw girl. It fitted, since Hermione had changed her hair colour to blonde. But attempting to lie her way out of trouble seemed like an impossible feat at that moment.

"Blood Status?"

"Half-blood," Hermione said shakily.

"Keep checking the tent! Search everything!" Greyback roared, and the man hurried back into the tent again, searching every inch of it for something valuable. Harry heard the sounds of parchment being rolled over and realized they were searching for Hermione's stolen name.

"So, thought you'd just go camping alone, and use the Dark Lord's name just to see what would happen, eh?" Greyback mocked, getting sniggers from the snatchers.

"N-no, it was a... accident," said Hermione cautiously. She was answered with jeering laughter, which stopped as Scabior began speaking again.

"Searched for your name missy, and it seems Penelope Clearwater is in her last year of Hogwarts as we speak. So who the hell are you?" he shouted. Harry's heart thumped harder and harder, and Hermione began to panic - what on earth was she going to say? The snatchers were waiting impatiently, but she couldn't think of an answer.

"You better tell us the truth, cause if you don't... well, I won't be able to resist your delicious, soft skin much longer," said Greyback, an obvious hunger in his voice. Suddenly they heard a shout from the tent, and the man who was searching ran out carrying Gryffindor's sword, and the Daily Prophet. Hermione saw them and felt her heart drop an inch or two - she was in trouble now, massive trouble. She knew her face was on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and the Gryffindor's sword was no ordinary thing to carry around camping.

"Hey! Look what I've found!" said the man happily, showing them the sword and reading the prophet.

"Very nice indeed, that sword looks goblin made. Where did you find that, girl?" demanded Greyback, there was a pause again as Hermione tried to think of something.

"Um, just in the forest," she answered, which was actually the truth considering Harry got it from the frozen lake in the Forest of Dean.

"_Just in the forest_? You're a lying little brat," Greyback spat, his temper flaring slightly.

"Greyback, also look what I saw in the Prophet," said the snatcher. There was a pause as all the snatchers read the paper silently, and looked at the picture. Scabior began to read it out loud so that Hermione could hear.

"_Hermione Granger_," Scabior read, "_the Mudblood who is known to be travelling with Harry Potter_." There was a heavy, intense pause. It lasted only a moment, and then Harry heard the crunching of leaves as someone moved closer to Hermione.

"You know what girl? This picture looks a hell of a lot like you."

"It isn't! It isn't me!" Hermione squeaked, but it was useless; none of them were going to believe a word she said.

"... _known to be travelling with Harry Potter_," muttered Greyback quietly. There was another silent, heavy pause as everyone was deep in thought. Harry felt so sorry for Hermione, and he wished he was able to be there. She was getting into a worse and worse situation with each passing second.

"Well, this changes things, doesn't it?" whispered Greyback. "Where is Potter?"

The question hung in the air, the question the entire wizarding world had been wondering. The only question Voldemort needed answering to, and it would all be over. Hermione knew that no matter what happened, she couldn't tell them where Harry was. She had to do anything possible to make sure he escaped and survived. If she became a prisoner of the war like others such as Ollivander the Wand-maker, the only way she would be released was if Voldemort died.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about-" Hermione lied quickly, perhaps a little too quickly.

_Smack! _Hermione gasped in pain from the harsh slap.

"I'm warning you, if you don't answer truthfully now you'll suffer much worse where we take you," said Greyback threateningly.

"The Prophet is w-wrong! It's j-just a rumour, I don't know where he is!" said Hermione, her voice shaking in fear.

"So be it. Tie her up. We might have a well-known mudblood, best friend of Potter, and possibly information on his where-abouts, this should pay well," said Greyback greedily as Harry listened to Hermione being tied up.

"Where should we take her? To the Ministry?" asked Scabior curiously.

"To hell with the Ministry! They'll take the credit, and if she knows where Potter is we might get paid a little extra. I say we take her straight to You-Know-Who," said Greyback, an excited snarl in his voice.

"I'm in. They say he's using the Malfoys' place as a base. We can take her there," said Scabior, the other snatchers muttering their eager agreements.

"Good. Take everything of value from the tent and leave it there, it's of no use to us. Let's move, I'll take the mudblood," said Greyback hungrily. Moments later when the tent was searched a final time, Harry and Ron heard a bunch of _crack_'s and then silence, as they were left alone. But they still couldn't move - it seemed Hermione wanted to make sure they didn't try to rescue her.

Harry was shocked. Hermione had just given up her life, literally, to save him and Ron. She was going to be tortured at Malfoy Manor, tortured and killed. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but deep down he knew it was true. And so did Hermione, when she insisted that she had no idea where he was. That was an act of pure courage, pure goodness... a Gryffindor act.

* * *

Hermione was dragged, and then finally thrown onto the floor in Malfoy Manor. The room was large and dark, and she guessed that it was the drawing room. The snatchers, Greyback, Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy were all present. Although, once Draco recognized the body on the floor, he desperately didn't want to be there at all. No matter how much you disliked someone, how could you willingly hand over an old classmate who you _knew _was innocent? Draco found himself staying beside his mother at the fireplace, having no desire to get involved with Hermione Granger's fate.

"We found her in a forest, camping alone," rasped Greyback to Lucius Malfoy.

"And you're sure it's the mudblood Granger? How can you be sure?" Lucius demanded. Hermione's hair was still blonde, and her eyes a bright, sparkly blue - these two changes made her look remarkably different. Although, having known her for six years, Draco easily saw through the disguise.

"Well she looks similar to the picture in the Prophet-" Greyback growled in annoyance.

"The picture in the Prophet is in black and white, you fool!" Lucius shouted, snatching the paper from Greyback's hands. He stared at the picture, then looked down at the terrified girl in front of him. Lucius' hair was untidy, he looked as though he hadn't shaved in weeks, and he also had no wand that Hermione could see. And he looked desperate - when he couldn't be sure about who she was, he shook his head in frustration.

"Draco! Come here, is this the Granger girl? Is it the mudblood?" Lucius whispered, pulling Draco closer. Hermione tried not to make eye contact, her blue eyes filling with tears as she attempted to look away. Her heart was not beating - but smashing against her chest. Draco would definitely know it was her if he got a close enough look. And she knew he would not hesitate to have her dead. Lucius grabbed her chin and pulled her face towards him and Draco. Before she could look away, her eyes connected with Draco's - sparkling blue of tears, steel grey of reluctance.

"I can't be sure. She never had blonde hair," Draco muttered, standing up and looking away.

"But that can easily be a disguise! If we are the ones to hand over one of Potter's closest friends - the Dark Lord will forgive us - all will be the way it was. We have to be certain that it's her!" Lucius hissed, stamping his foot in urgency. Draco sighed, looking down on the pathetic body in front of him again. He pretended to look closer for a few moments, but shook his head.

"I don't know. I can't be certain," was his final answer, and with that Draco walked over to where his mother stood at the fireplace. Hermione was beyond relief at that moment - had he simply not recognized her? It was unlikely - when they made eye contact, she had a feeling he knew who she was. But he seemed so reluctant, staying near the fireplace with his mother. Hermione was also puzzled by what Lucius meant about them being forgiven - was his family being punished? A moment later Bellatrix walked in, seeing the body on the ground.

"What is this?" she hissed, moving closer. Greyback repeated where he found her, and who he thought she was. Bellatrix rounded on Draco, demanding him to figure it out. Draco had a pained expression on his face - he didn't want to get on Bellatrix's bad side. But he was determined not to be involved in anything that happened - that seemed to be a common thing for him these days. Ever since being ordered to kill Dumbledore, he was reluctant to participate in Death Eater activities. He was afraid of Voldemort - desperately afraid, just like his mother and father.

"She looks different than the real Granger. I can't be certain," said Draco again, shaking his head.

"Well, we have to be certain. Who are you?" whispered Bellatrix, who was crouching next to Hermione's body. Hermione had no idea what to say - should she lie again, and hope for the best? Or tell the truth? If she told the truth, they'd just torture her into giving information on Harry. She couldn't think of an answer, and they were all waiting.

"If you don't tell me your name, I'll force it out of you..." said Bellatrix in a deadly voice.

"P-Penelope Clearwater!" Hermione lied quickly.

"You're lying, Penelope Clearwater is at Hogwarts!" the snatcher Scabior growled. Bellatrix glared at her, and slowly began to draw a silver knife out of her pocket. Its blade gleamed and Hermione had a feeling that it was cursed with some sort of evil magic. Panic began to rise in Hermione - Bellatrix looked more psychotic than ever, and everyone in the room knew that she wasn't settling for anything but the truth.

"N-no!" said Hermione desperately, staring wide-eyed at the knife.

"Tell me your name! NOW!" said Bellatrix, moving it closer to the prisoner.

"I-I left Hogwarts! My name is Penelope Clearwater-" Hermione insisted.

"You're a filthy little liar!" Bellatrix screamed, slashing the knife across Hermione's cheek and leaving a long cut. Draco looked away from them, feeling slightly sick. What he was witnessing was very disturbing, and far worse than insults and hurtful nicknames. Sure, he'd bullied her at Hogwarts, but he never actually attacked her; and seeing her - anyone, for that matter - at the mercy of Bellatrix, was sickening.

"P-please stop!" Hermione begged, holding her cheek in pain and trying to move away.

"What else did you find with her?" said Bellatrix, standing up and glaring towards the snatchers. They all looked reluctant to show what they'd found, each of them hoping to sell something and get some personal profit. But Bellatrix cared nothing for gold - only becoming closer to Voldemort, becoming the favourite Death Eater. She looked carelessly at the food and small objects like a Sneakoscope and books, but then stopped suddenly. She'd seen Gryffindor's sword, and it clearly meant something of importance to her.

"Give me that sword," she hissed, pointing to it.

"I found it miss, I reckon it's mine," the man replied reluctantly, but he barely finished the sentence before Bellatrix had drawn her wand and blown him out of the way.

"Are you mad, woman?" shouted Scabior, drawing his wand.

"_Stupefy! Stupefy!_" shrieked Bellatrix, stunning all of the snatchers before any of them had a chance. No one else challenged her, and it seemed that no one else wanted to either. It was clear that Voldemort had trained her in dueling, and it made Hermione even more terrified. Lucius appeared to not have a wand at all, and he wearily stood back. Draco and his mother Narcissa made no move to draw wands, and they stayed near the fireplace. Bellatrix left Greyback standing as she picked up the sword and turned to him.

"Where did you get this sword?" she whispered, her tone low and serious. Greyback glared at her in anger for a few moments, before answering.

"It was in the girl's tent. Release my men!" demanded Greyback, but Bellatrix ignored him and turned on Hermione once more, a new hatred in her eyes. Hermione began to desperately move away from Death Eater. She wished she could just vanish, or apparate away from the nightmare she was in at that moment.

"I'm going to make you scream, you little liar!" Bellatrix shrieked in fury as she walked towards Hermione, who began to sob uncontrollably.

"Where did you get the sword? What is your name? TELL ME!" screamed Bellatrix, cutting Hermione on the cheek again and bringing out another scream. Draco watched with a horrified expression, and winced at the scream. He wished she would just tell the truth.

"I f-found it! In the forest!" sobbed Hermione.

"That sword was placed in my Gringott's vault by Snape! You stole it from me!" accused Bellatrix, an inch from Hermione's terrified face.

"N-no! I swear, I j-just found it!" Hermione continued, being completely honest. Harry had found it, they didn't steal anything, and she didn't know what else to say.

"Tell the truth! _CRUCIO_!" hissed Bellatrix. The screams echoed and filled the entire house, causing Draco to look away and close his eyes. But Bellatrix just smiled maliciously. Draco silently urged Hermione to just tell the truth, because he knew that Bellatrix wasn't going to stop until she had what she wanted. When the spell finally stopped, Hermione was gasping and shaking in pain as they waited for an answer.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or will I do that again?" asked Bellatrix in a whisper. The entire room was silent, the only sound being Hermione's sobs. Nobody dared to move or speak while Bellatrix was so furious.

"So be it. _CRU_-!"

"It is her! It is the Granger girl!" Draco burst out impulsively. His face was a shade paler than usual, and he looked like he was going to be sick. If he could leave the room, he would have done exactly that - but it was the duty of a Death Eater to stay. And if he had to be there, he didn't want to watch sickening torture. And if Hermione wasn't going to tell the truth, he had to do it for her.

"You're certain?" she demanded. Draco just nodded in reply, avoiding eye contact with Bellatrix.

"Good! So we have the mudblood, who was travelling with Potter," said Bellatrix, more to herself than anyone else. Hermione's eyes were filled with tears of pain as her body still ached from the Cruciatus curse. She looked up at Draco, feeling both relief that he had stopped Bellatrix, but also remorse because her identity was known. She was once again wondering about his actions - it was rather strange. She expected him to be smirking, calling her a mudblood, telling Bellatrix to torture her some more. But she suddenly realized that Draco Malfoy really wasn't as evil as they'd always thought him to be. She glanced at his mother and father, realizing that the entire Malfoy family must be suffering.

"And her tent was big, easily big enough for three people," rasped Greyback in excitement. Bellatrix nodded eagerly.

"Well, mudblood. You are going to tell us where you found this sword, and you're going to tell us where Potter and your other blood traitor friend Weasley are," said Bellatrix, her wand at the ready.

"I-I don't know where they a-are, they c-could be anywhere!" said Hermione frantically, looking back at Bellatrix in fear.

"Liar! _Crucio_!" hissed Bellatrix, causing screams to erupt into the room once more. The torture went on and on, a constant stop and start of the Cruciatus curse. After at least twenty minutes, Hermione could no longer take it. Draco almost felt relief when she began to talk and tell the truth - he'd almost forgotten that he was supposed to hate her. But it was impossible to hate someone so unfortunate. Tears and blood stained her face, as she sobbed and began telling the truth.

"I cast a s-spell on H-harry and Ron t-to make them i-invisible before t-they caught m-me!" said Hermione as her tears spilled onto the floor. Bellatrix seemed to be completely emotionless, and payed no attention to the crying.

"So they're still at the forest? You did that so they couldn't move?" panted Bellatrix, who appeared to be rather tired from the torturing. Hermione nodded, still sobbing and unable to talk.

"Greyback! Go to the forest, find Potter and Weasley!" Bellatrix ordered in excitement.

"You can't tell me what to do!" growled Greyback. He seemed incredibly stubborn and angry; he'd caught Hermione, and it seemed as though he wasn't going to be paid for it at all. The other snatchers were all unconscious, and Bellatrix was taking all the glory. That's all that mattered to snatchers and Death Eaters: gold and serving Voldemort. There was no such thing as friends and socializing. Life was miserable for Draco, being the youngest Death Eater. The other Slytherin's were at Hogwarts while he was at the Manor, being ordered around by Voldemort, being forced to do things he considered completely wrong.

"If you catch them you will get all the gold you can imagine, GO!" shrieked Bellatrix, and with that Greyback apparated with a greedy smile.

"And the sword? Tell me about the sword!" Bellatrix demanded, crouching down and pointing the silver knife at Hermione's throat.

"H-harry found it! H-he got it f-from a lake! W-we didn't steal it, s-someone else d-did!" Hermione sobbed, desperately telling the truth once more. But she knew Bellatrix wouldn't believe it, it seemed unbelievable even as she said it. The knife pressed against her cheek again, slicing into the skin painfully.

"You're lying!" hissed Bellatrix furiously.

"N-no! PLEASE!" Hermione screamed, struggling and trying to desperately pull herself away from Bellatrix. There was a _crack_ as Greyback re-appeared into the room again.

"They took the tent and escaped. I was seconds late," rasped Greyback angrily.

"Y-you'll never c-catch them," Hermione sobbed from the floor. Despite what she'd been through, she still had a spark of defiance in her tone.

"_CRUCIO_!"

* * *

**Youtube trailer** - watch?v=BOWtX4defHY

**Reader Questions:**

**-** Where did you find out about this story? Do you like the beginning, will you read on? Why or why not?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**C****hapter 2**

"Draco, drag this filth down to the cellar. She'll be a useful prisoner, and the Dark Lord will want to see her," said Bellatrix, kicking Hermione in the stomach before swiftly leaving the room. Hermione didn't move, she just laid on the ground, muscles aching all over and constant tears running down her face, mixing with the blood on her cheek. Draco grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the room, causing her to gasp and tug away in pain.

"Lie still!" said Draco in frustration. Hermione sighed and did as she was told, allowing him to gently drag her along the ground. It felt humiliating, but she supposed that was the whole point. To them, she was a mudblood inside a house of superior Death Eater's and purebloods. Once they turned a corner and were out of sight, Draco let go of her arms and pulled out his wand. Hermione crawled into a sitting position, because her legs were too weak to walk on. Then she saw the wand, and her eyes widened in fear.

"P-please, don't, I-" Hermione sobbed, as she tried to back away.

"Be quiet," Draco hissed, his eyes threatening her. Hermione bit her lip, and shut her eyes, waiting for the curse or hex that was surely coming. But instead she felt herself begin floating in mid-air. She opened her eyes again and realized that he was levitating her the rest of the way to the cellar.

"Thanks," Hermione said quietly.

"I just don't want to touch your mudblood skin, that's all," Draco replied coldly. Hermione turned to face him with a hurt expression, but there was no sympathy in his gaze. She expected some sort of proper reply, after how reluctant he acted when he was told to identify her. But of course, after thanking him, all she got in return was a snide insult and the word _'mudblood'_. It was typical Malfoy, but she was still glad that he wasn't dragging her like an animal. They began descending down the stairs, and then Draco let her drop roughly to the ground as he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Hermione swore in pain, glaring up at him.

"That's the cellar, go in," said Draco, pointing into the dark, stone walled room. Hermione held her hip where she'd hit the step in pain, purposefully taking her time. Draco tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for her to move. But she wasn't finished yet - they'd known each other for seven years, and even if they were enemies, she wanted a proper explanation from him.

"For what it's worth, I want to thank you for pretending to not know who I was earlier," Hermione said without looking at him.

"Your thanks is worth nothing, get in the damn cellar," Draco growled.

"When Bellatrix started torturing me, you told her who I was to make her stop. Why?" Hermione demanded, looking him in the eyes this time. He hesitated for a second, caught off guard by the odd question.

"Because your screaming was hurting my ears, that's why. Enough questions, get in the cellar or I'll push you in," said Draco, with a hint of finality.

"Fine," said Hermione in disappointment. She slid down the last two steps, and watched as the jail-like door slammed shut. But she quickly grabbed the bars and pulled herself up.

"Wait! Are they going to kill me?" she whispered. It was such an innocent question, Draco couldn't bring himself to ignore her. He turned around slowly, looking at her desperate expression.

"Yes," he admitted.

"When? What more are they going to do to me?" Hermione asked, leaning against the bars slightly. Her entire body was still aching from the Cruciatus curse. Despite who she was and how much he hated her, Draco still felt like talking. For the past couple of months he'd been stuck in Malfoy Manor obeying _'Lord Voldemort's'_ every command, in fear of punishment if he failed. Any more failures on the Malfoy name would result in death. Lucius had already had his wand taken off him when Voldemort needed another one, although everyone knew it was on purpose. Likewise, for the past couple of months Hermione, Harry and Ron had been on the run - talking to absolutely no one else but each other. The war was destroying both of their lives. But Draco had orders, and he had to carry them out.

"I don't know and I don't care! You'll be fed twice a day, if you need to go to the toilet call out and someone will come to let you out," he said impatiently, before turning and walking up the last few steps. Hermione slid to the ground next to the door, staring through the bars towards the light. She felt slightly claustrophobic as the pitch black cellar closed in around her. Tears began to fall again as she started sobbing, realizing that she really was going to die a horrible death in this place.

* * *

"We've got to go back for her!" shouted Ron, pulling out his wand and preparing to apparate.

"No Ron! We'll just get caught and everything we've done will be for nothing!" said Harry, grabbing his arm.

"So what, you're just going to let her die? You don't even care?" said Ron in outrage.

"You know that's not true. She hid us both for a reason, Ron - one person captured is better than three people captured. We can't just apparate in, hexing everything that moves - we need a plan!" said Harry. It took a while for Ron to calm down and agree, but he was still agitated and on edge. Harry knew that Ron had feelings for her, but they had no choice but to put their feelings aside and act logically.

"In the meantime, let's get the tent and get out of here. They might come looking for us," Harry muttered as he drew his wand and began packing everything hurriedly.

"Where are we going to go next?" Ron asked.

"I dunno. But we've got to think of a plan to rescue Hermione," said Harry, as they both kept packing. They noticed that most of the food had been taken, along with other small items here and there. They couldn't continue on their own without Hermione and without food.

"Perhaps we should go to the Burrow, you can be disguised, so we can get some food," Ron suggested, "and let the Order know what has happened too."

Harry nodded in agreement as they finished magically packing everything into a small enchanted bag. They heard a _crack_ sound a few metres away, but before Greyback could do anything, they had already apparated away.

* * *

"Hermione? Is that you?" came a voice from the darkness of the cellar. Hermione sniffed and turned around in surprise, recognizing the voice.

"_Luna_? Thank g-god I'm not alone," Hermione whispered as Luna Lovegood moved closer to her.

"I heard your screaming from upstairs, is your face okay? You have three cuts on your cheek," said Luna calmly. Her blonde hair and clothes looked as though they hadn't been cleaned in weeks, and she looked very thin, but otherwise she was completely fine. The Death Eaters wouldn't have had any reason to hurt her - Luna was completely harmless, after all.

"It stings, but I'm fine. Who else is in here?" Hermione asked as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. She could see three other figures in the cellar, and was curious to find out who the other prisoners were.

"You, me, Mr Ollivander, Dean and Griphook," Luna answered, pointing to each person. There were introductions as Hermione said hello and got a look at each person - or goblin, in Griphook's case.

"Miss Granger, you'd better fix your cheek - you're still bleeding," Mr Ollivander pointed out in his old, weak voice. He looked and sounded drained of all strength from being in the cellar for so long. Hermione touched the cuts and felt warm blood on her hands, causing her to shiver slightly. Using her shirt, she began wiping the blood and tears away. But the blood seemed to keep coming, no matter how much she wiped it away. Luna noticed this and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"The silver knife was cursed!" said Hermione, "the cuts won't stop bleeding!"

"Perhaps find something to hold against your cheek? There's nothing down here though," said Luna sadly. Hermione began to panic, and quickly ripped the bottom of her shirt off and held the cloth against her cheek. If the cuts really were cursed she was going to die however - no matter how many bandages and bits of clothing she used. Not knowing what else to do, she shook the bars of the door with her other hand and called out for someone to come down. It felt like ages, and finally Draco appeared at the top of the stairs, walking down them one by one very slowly.

"Hurry up!" said Hermione urgently.

"What, you busting to go to the toilet?" Draco asked sarcastically when he reached the door.

"No. The cuts on my cheek won't stop bleeding, they're cursed," said Hermione worriedly. She noticed Draco staring at her bare stomach and hips.

"Malfoy, stop staring! Ugh you're so rude," Hermione said with disgust, going slightly red.

"Why'd you rip your shirt? Clearly you want to be noticed," Draco sneered in amusement.

"Oh shut up! My cheek is cursed, it won't stop bleeding and it has to be healed with magic," Hermione said quickly, pointing at the ripped shirt against her cheek. She hoped that he would heal it, because there was nothing she could do. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to die in the cellar, it was a very horrible possibility.

"So?"

"_So?_ So heal me!" Hermione hissed.

"I'm not healing you, who do you think I am? Madam Pomfrey?" Draco snarled, crossing his arms.

"It doesn't matter who you are! If it doesn't get healed I'll die!" Hermione urged.

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing," said Draco with a smirk. Hermione shook the bars angrily.

"Malfoy, this isn't a joke! Please!" she begged. He looked as if he was considering it, and he put his hand in his pocket.

"Oh, it seems that I've lost my wand. I'll be back when I find it," said Draco with a wink as he turned around. Hermione shook the bars again, wanting to scream. She knew she couldn't scream though, because that would bring Bellatrix down. After what happened earlier in the day, she was terribly scared of the woman upstairs. Likewise Draco wasn't told whether healing a mudblood prisoner was allowed, and he guessed that it wasn't. Better to stay uninvolved again, because angering Voldemort would be the death of him.

"You're just going to let me die! Why?" Hermione asked in confusion, feeling powerless as he reached the top of the stairs and walked away. She sat down beside the door sadly, not knowing what else to do.

"Maybe someone else will come down if we call later?" Luna suggested.

"I'm not sure how long I'll last though. I hate Malfoy! I can't believe how disgusting and cruel he is!" Hermione whispered. The ripped part of her shirt was soaked through and her hands were beginning to get covered with blood. She was helpless, and all she could do was wait.

* * *

Upstairs, Draco was bored out of his mind doing nothing, as usual. Being the youngest Death Eater, he didn't have much to do and Voldemort rarely called upon a Malfoy to have a job done. The only people he could talk to were his parents, Bellatrix, occasionally Snape and a few other Death Eaters that dropped in and out of the Manor. Other than that he was alone and rather miserable, while Crabbe and Goyle were at Hogwarts having the time of their lives. Since the Carrow's were now dictating everything at the school, all of Slytherin would be having the time of their lives. He imagined what it would be like if Voldemort never came to be - he would be at Hogwarts, enjoying life as the rich seventh year pureblood. Yes, life certainly wasn't going the way he'd wanted it to go. Things were going downhill because of the war, and he'd began learning Occlumency, due to his mother's and Snape's urging. They both believed it would be a useful tool to have. He was curious as to why his mother knew Occlumency, and why she wanted him to learn it - but he had a feeling that it had something to do with Voldemort.

Narcissa didn't like Voldemort, he knew that. Ever since Voldemort gave Draco the mission to kill Dumbledore, his mother had been depressed. Draco couldn't understand why, he thought it was a privilege at the time to have such an important job. But when he entered his sixth year of Hogwarts, he realized the sudden extreme pressure that he was under. If he failed to kill Dumbledore, it was very clear that he was going to die. Snape was always trying to help him, because Narcissa had begged to have Draco protected. The memories of the previous year still haunted him, and even to that day he wondered whether what he did was right. Fixing the Vanishing Cabinets was a genius idea, Dumbledore himself said that. But all of that work was put to waste, as Draco realized how horrific murder really was. Narcissa not only wanted Draco to be protected from harm, she didn't want him turning into someone like Bellatrix. The Malfoy's were by no means psychotic killers - on the contrary, not even Lucius had committed murder.

This was Draco's life, at the current time - everything around him was dark and uncertain. And what was the girl locked downstairs in the cellar? _'Just a mudblood,'_ Draco thought to himself. But also a Gryffindor, who are known to be good people. And realistically, just an innocent victim who doesn't deserve anything that is happening to her. He sighed - despite being a Death Eater and all, he'd grown up with loving parents and it wasn't like he was some criminal - he _did _know the difference between right and wrong. What was happening around him was very wrong. His mother knew that, although it was Lucius who made all the decisions for them. No one really paid attention to Narcissa Malfoy, and no one really understood her because of her Occlumency. None of the Death Eaters messed with her either, since she was Bellatrix's sister.

Was that the only reason the Malfoy's had become Death Eaters? Narcissa's sister was Bellatrix Lestrange. Their family was obsessed with the pureblood tradition, and Lucius believed that no one could stop Voldemort once he gained power. It was more a matter of joining the stronger side when times were rough. And Lucius seemed to be right - Dumbledore was dead, there was hardly any resistance. Voldemort was winning, the Death Eaters were the stronger side. But the Malfoy's were suffering, however, just like the Weasley's were. Narcissa and Lucius had always loved their only son, and they'd made it clear that their family was more important than serving Voldemort. But it was too late to change sides; it was too late for Lucius to change his decision. The reality was - both sides of the war were suffering because of one mans desire for power. Both sides of the war were suffering for one mans greed.

* * *

The minutes dragged on into hours, but Hermione was happy that there were others in the cellar with her. She got to know Mr Ollivander much better, and he told her what to expect from Voldemort - Legilimency.

"If you're a poor Occlumens, he will easily read through your memories... you will not be able to keep any secrets from him," said Mr Ollivander. Hermione wondered what Voldemort would do if he found out that they were destroying his horcruxes. The thought frightened her as she looked towards the entrance of the cellar. Her cheek was still bleeding at a steady pace. She was forced to tear off clothing from her pants, revealing her thighs. The idea of Draco staring at her legs made her feel sick, but she had no other choice - what mattered more was that she stayed alive. She felt weak and slightly dizzy from the loss of blood as she leaned back against the wall. It was only a matter of time before she went unconscious.

"Hermione, are you feeling well?" asked Luna, watching her with a worried expression.

"Can you call Malfoy?" Hermione said faintly. Luna nodded, moving to the door and calling up through the bars. Draco was upstairs, still thinking about how unfortunate his family had become. He didn't want to stay around being Voldemort's puppet anymore, and realized that maybe this was why Narcissa had urged him to learn Occlumency - he could have a free mind. He suddenly felt guilty for thinking that he was unfortunate when he heard a voice calling up from the cellar. The mudblood was definitely more unfortunate than he was. But she _was_ just a mudblood, and this was the new way of life with Voldemort in power - mudbloods suffer, purebloods prosper. But that still didn't change the fact that it was disgusting to watch. He'd only just left a school which was at least half muggle-borns. But no one else questioned Voldemort - doing so was like asking to be killed.

* * *

Downstairs Hermione waited anxiously, as she heard movement from upstairs. Maybe it was because he felt guilty for not helping earlier, or maybe he was just bored, but Draco came down much faster this time. Once he reached the last step, he stopped and looked in curiously.

"What?" Draco muttered.

"Can you come in?" Hermione asked. She was sitting on the ground beside the door, without any strength to get up. Draco sighed in frustration and unlocked the door.

"Everyone move against the back wall," he ordered, listening to the other prisoners move to the back of the cellar, before stepping in.

"_Lumos._ Shit, Granger," said Draco, seeing the blood-soaked bits of clothing in a pile beside her. He moved in closer and crouched beside her, putting the light in front of her. She was deathly pale, and her hair and eyes had returned to their original brown.

"Nice legs," he said with a smirk, unable to stop himself.

"Grow up Malfoy and help me!" Hermione said in a would-be angry voice, but it was softer and quieter than usual. Talking loudly took too much effort, and she was drained of energy.

"Doing that will just get me into trouble. Why should I?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a pause as Hermione stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm dying in front of you, and all you have to do is flick your wand," she said, unable to believe how cruel he was.

"Well my hand hurts at the moment," Draco said uncaringly.

"I know we've always hated each other, but... what could I possibly have done to deserve this? Malfoy, I'm begging you, just help me? _Please_?" Hermione whispered as her eyes started to water. After a few tense moments, Draco sighed reluctantly. He knew he was going to have to heal her - it was very clear that she was dying. If she died, Voldemort would be unbelievably furious, and someone would be forced to pay the price. No doubt it would be himself, since he was one of the people who took care of the prisoners.

"Fine. Move your hand, let me see it," he said, pushing her arm aside and shining his wand-light near her cheek. Her skin was icy cold.

"You're bloody freezing," he muttered.

"You're bloody warm," Hermione replied, looking him in the eyes. There was a slight pause before Draco cast the spell.

"_Episkey_," he murmured quietly, pointing his wand at the three cuts. They slowly began to heal, and Hermione gasped as she felt her cheek go very hot at first, then very cold. After that, the wounds closed and were healed - leaving behind three tiny pink scars. Hermione felt her cheek and smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Dying quietly in here would have been better than by You-Know-Who anyway," Draco replied, about to turn away. He knew he was right, because she had heaps of memories of Harry and Voldemort was going to use Legilimency, or torture her for information. It would have been much less painful to die in the cellar, and he really did feel sorry for her.

"Dying quietly in here would mean to give up. But I'll never give up hope," Hermione said softly in return. She closed her eyes, relaxing against the wall. Draco watched her for a moment in surprise, and then looked at the pile of torn off bits of clothing. He'd never been good at obeying the rules - his time at Hogwarts proved that. With a sudden urge to do something out of the ordinary, something against the rules, he pointed his wand at the pile of bloody clothing.

"_Incendio!_" he hissed, causing Hermione to jump in fright. But the flame wasn't aimed at her. Instead it ignited the pile of clothing, creating a small, warm fire.

"Better burn all that dirty muggle-born blood. Put it out if someone else comes down," Draco said, before standing upright and walking through the entrance. Hermione smiled to herself. Despite the _'dirty blood'_ insult, she was still happy that he'd made the fire. As the door closed and locked, the other prisoners came back over and huddled around the small fire, which helped warm and light up the depressing cellar.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Time continued ticking by, in a slow, agonizing way. There was nothing to do in the cellar, and the prisoners didn't have much to talk about. Hermione couldn't tell them anything about her mission with Harry and Ron, so she mainly listened while sitting beside the cellar entrance. Mr Ollivander talked lots about his time in the cellar, wand-making, and stories of his childhood. Hermione was dying to ask him about the Elder Wand, because she was certain he knew about it. But she couldn't mention that in front of the other prisoners. Griphook never talked, and if he did, it was one-word muttered answers. Dean was usually quiet, and he occasionally talked to Luna and Griphook. And Luna was just her usual cheery self. Nothing seemed to dampen her spirits.

"Mr Ollivander, do you think you'll ever get out of here?" Hermione asked, warming her hands on the fire which was still burning. Draco's spell must have been strong enough to keep the flame going forever. The old wand-maker's face was skull-like because of how thin he had become. He smiled weakly.

"I have tried every aspect of magic there is, my dear. Sadly, it is impossible. You-Know-Who is only keeping me alive because of my knowledge of wands... I don't think I'll ever leave this place alive," he said, his voice slow and weak. Hermione sighed sadly. Before anyone could say anything else, however, footsteps began coming down the stairs. Remembering Draco's warning, Hermione and Luna quickly began putting the fire out with their shoes.

"Everyone against the b-back wall," said a whining type of voice, which definitely was _not_ Draco Malfoy. Hermione had to crawl, with the help of Luna, towards the back wall. Then the door unlocked, and in came - Wormtail.

"Goblin, you're coming with me," said Wormtail, indicating for Griphook to follow him.

"Why?" asked Hermione, glaring at the rat-like man in front of her. She knew how much Harry hated him.

"To inspect that sword you stole, mudblood-" said Wormtail with a wheezy laugh.

"_Griphook! Tell them it's a fake_!" Hermione whispered desperately into the goblins ear. Griphook pretended to hear nothing, but she saw him nod slightly in understanding before getting up. He wandered over to Wormtail and left the cellar, and Hermione listened to the door creak closed and lock behind him.

"I hope they don't hurt him," said Luna dreamily as the cellar went completely dark. Without a fire, it started to get very cold, very fast. They suddenly heard shouts from upstairs as Bellatrix interrogated the goblin, demanding the truth. Hermione prayed that he told them it was a fake. If the Death Eaters and Voldemort found out it was the real sword of Gryffindor, she would be put in a very bad situation.

* * *

Later that night Hermione was sitting next to the entrance again, shivering from the cold. She was wearing the least amount of clothing compared to the other prisoners, and being the smallest and still recovering from her injuries, the cold affected her the most. She heard footsteps coming towards the cellar, and her heart leapt. She was starving. The door unlocked without a word, for which she was grateful - she felt too weak to move against the back wall again.

"_Lumos_," murmured a voice, the wand-light revealing it to be Draco. He moved in further and put a plate on the ground, which had food scraps on it. That was obviously their dinner, and he didn't say anything as he turned to leave. It must have been common routine - she wasn't sure how long Draco had been forced to do this job.

"Where is Griphook?" Hermione asked, "the goblin?"

"Why do you care?" said Draco, looking at her with his hand on the door. It was typical Hermione Granger - sticking her nose in other people's business, and caring for the unfortunate. She was always the bookworm and teachers pet in class, and she was the goodie-goodie outside of class. Going on about house elves being treated like slaves was a perfect example of that. These were all reasons why she was bullied by him and the Slytherin's in their early years of Hogwarts - and of course, because she was a mudblood. Had they been back in a classroom, he probably would have replied with a snide insult.

"Because he's being treated with cruelty, like everyone in this cellar, that's why," Hermione replied angrily. That statement seemed to smack Draco in the face, and there was a long pause as he considered his reply.

"He's still inspecting the sword," Draco answered. The door closed again, and Hermione sighed in annoyance and moved towards the food. The other prisoners had already begun eating, but Mr Ollivander sat back against the wall.

"Mr Ollivander, are you eating any?" Hermione asked him curiously.

"No, my dear. You go ahead, there is not enough for two people, let alone four. You need your strength to get out of this place, it's too late for me," the old man said sadly. Hermione felt terrible, but she knew he was right. The plate of food scraps was very small, and after she, Luna and Dean had eaten everything, they were still hungry. Mr Ollivander remained silent, watching them eat ravenously. Hermione leaned against her wall again, her eyelids drooping as her stomach growled in hunger. She'd only been there for two days, and already she was injured, starving and cold. Mr Ollivander had been there for two years, and she was shocked at how he had managed to survive. Her stomach rumbled again.

_'Harry and Ron, please hurry...'_ were her last thoughts, before she fell asleep.

* * *

Hermione woke up very early the next morning feeling rather refreshed. She stood up, yawning and stretching her arms and legs. The other prisoners were still asleep, so she guessed that it must have been early in the morning. Being in the dark cellar meant she'd lost track of time rather easily. Suddenly bursting to go to the toilet, and incredibly hungry, she moved to the door and called out through the bars. She hoped not to wake any of the prisoners, and oddly, she hoped that only Draco would come down. No matter how much she hated him, she liked him more than anyone else upstairs. After a few minutes, she called again, louder and more urgently.

"Where on earth are they?" she muttered to herself in annoyance, jumping up and down slightly. After what felt like ten minutes, she heard footsteps and sighed in relief as Draco came into view. He was putting on a cloak as he walked.

"Finally!" she said, gripping the bars.

"Damn it mudblood, you woke me up," he said angrily, yawning at the same time.

"Shut _up_ and stop calling me that! I need to go to the toilet," said Hermione, shivering slightly. She could tell why he was putting a cloak on - it was a very cold morning. The constant use of _'mudblood'_ was also frustrating her, why couldn't he just use her name? She didn't call him by any nicknames, although she could use _'ferret'_ if she wanted to. And the word was used on purpose, which made it worse.

"Why should I let you out, you just told me to shut up. How rude," Draco said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Rude? You're the one calling me a mudblood," Hermione hissed.

"Well that's what you are, and besides, you're my prisoner. I can call you whatever I want," said Draco, a superior smirk playing across his lips.

"I'm sorry, _master_, may I please go to the bathroom?" Hermione said sarcastically.

"That's better," said Draco as he unlocked the door, "ladies first." Hermione raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"What, so you can stare at my legs? Sorry, I'm not a slut like Pansy Parkinson," Hermione replied waspishly, crossing her arms. Draco glared at her furiously before walking up the stairs. She quickly followed, proud that her insult had hurt him somehow.

"You better watch your mouth, mudblood," Draco spat when they reached the top of the staircase. He didn't really care about Pansy at all, to be honest, Hermione was right. But the fact that she, a mudblood, a prisoner, was insulting him in his own house, was incredibly frustrating. He knew that she was just being a typical Gryffindor, acting all proud and brave. That's what made it even more frustrating, Gryffindor's never knew when to be quiet. Their courage and house pride made them fools, in Draco's opinion. The hatred between Gryffindor's and Slytherin's would never end.

"Or what?" said Hermione, glaring at him in challenge. He turned on her, stepping towards her slowly.

"I'm the one with the wand, Granger. I can do whatever I want," he said coldly as he drew his wand. Hermione fearfully began to step backwards, watching his hand.

"I'm not scared of you," she said defiantly, looking back into his eyes. They held nothing but dislike in return, as Draco decided that it was time to put her in her place.

"Oh really? _Serpensortia_..." murmured Draco, casting a deadly looking black snake from his wand. Its eyes were fixed on Hermione, as it slithered towards her swiftly. Stepping away from it in fear, she bumped into a wall and was trapped with nowhere to go.

"Malfoy stop it-" said Hermione shakily, but of course he didn't do anything. The snake reached her foot and slithered up her leg, causing her to freeze and lean flat against the wall. She opened her mouth to scream but quickly closed it again.

"You'd better not scream, we don't want Bellatrix hearing you," said Draco evilly.

"Please get if off me!" gasped Hermione, as the snake continued moving up her body. It finally reached her arm, and stopped on her shoulder. She looked sideways and saw its black eyes staring straight back, as it bared its fangs and hissed frighteningly.

"Are you scared now, mudblood?" asked Draco as he pointed his wand at her. The snake slithered around her neck and tightened slightly, its head in mid-air looking straight at her. She was too scared to reply as she stared at the snake's pitiless black gaze.

"D-don't let it hurt me," said Hermione, as her body began to shake in fear. Draco seemed very amused to see her so vulnerable and scared. It appeared that the Gryffindor's lion-like spirit was crumbling under the fear of Slytherin's snake. The snake moved its head closer to her cheek and snapped its jaws hungrily - causing her to flinch and look away.

"M-malfoy _please_ – I'm scared!" she said pleadingly, looking at him with a terrified expression. Satisfied that he'd proven his point, he flicked his wand and the snake slithered off of her body, landing on the ground and vanishing with a puff of dark smoke. She exhaled in relief and shuddered slightly.

"You should be scared," said Draco snidely as he continued walking. Hermione followed him nervously, and they walked in silence to the bathroom. Once they reached the bathroom, Hermione hurried in without a word and closed the door. She considered locking it, but knew that it would be childish - he could easily just use his wand to open it if he wanted to. She admitted that the snake was frightening, but that only made her hate him more. It wasn't fair, she was unarmed and defenseless, and he'd taken advantage of that. Damn Slytherin, he was honestly such a coward for using a snake to frighten an innocent girl. Okay, she was exaggerating a bit there, she wasn't exactly innocent and she _had_ insulted him. But he started it for calling her a mudblood.

And if Harry and Ron were there, he would _never_ have tried to do something like that. But she supposed that was the point, no one else was there. She was alone, and it depressed her slightly as she realized that the only person she could... rely on, was Malfoy. He'd proven that he wasn't all that bad by making the fire, healing her, he didn't let the snake hurt her either. Maybe he was just keeping his distance because of the other Death Eaters. She considered at least trying to be civil with him. Creating another cruel enemy wouldn't do her any good, and she needed his help if she was going to survive in the cellar like Ollivander had. After going to the toilet, she'd been waiting in the bathroom for over ten minutes until she was ready to leave. With a sigh, she stared at the door for a few moments before opening it.

* * *

Draco acted as though she wasn't there as he led the way back to the cellar. It frustrated her slightly as they walked in silence, and she didn't know what to say. They hated each other, how was it possible to start any sort of conversation? She noticed that it was just past five in the morning and her stomach rumbled loudly. She felt herself go red in embarrassment, and she knew Draco had heard it. The mudblood was a starving prisoner, and the pureblood didn't care. It was a very humiliating feeling. Hermione decided to start conversation with food, since that was the most pressing thing on her mind.

"When's breakfast?" asked Hermione, in an attempt to break the silence.

"Later. Why, didn't you get fed enough last night?" asked Draco sarcastically. He knew it was a cruel thing to ask, but cruelty towards mudbloods was expected. One of the Death Eaters could be awake, and he had to make sure his snide Draco Malfoy act was still up to date. And he just couldn't miss such a good opportunity to frustrate her.

"No, I did not get fed enough last night and I went to sleep _starving!_ You're such an asshole!" Hermione hissed, trying to keep her voice down. Even though he could bring the snake back at any moment, she felt furious at being mocked about the dinner. Especially after he'd heard how hungry she was, how cruel could he be?

"Keep it down Granger, you might wake Bellatrix," Draco snickered as they reached the stairs to the cellar.

"No-one's awake; you could have easily just given me an apple or something. But fine, just let me starve," Hermione said in an attempt to make him feel guilty as they descended the steps.

"Whatever. And just so you know, you'll always just be a little mudblood," said Draco hurtfully as he unlocked the cellar door.

"Good! I'd rather be a mudblood than an arrogant, pureblood prick like you!" Hermione hissed as she walked into the cellar. The door slammed shut and locked, and they both glared at each other through the bars. _'I officially hate him more than anyone,'_ Hermione thought to herself as he left. She slid to the cellar floor beside the door. The other prisoners were still asleep, so she sat in silence. Ten minutes passed in cold, agonizing quiet as she silently fumed over what had happened. Then she heard footsteps again, and saw an apple roll through the bars, onto the floor beside her. At first she couldn't believe her eyes, and peeked through the bars curiously to see Draco leaving quickly. She smiled as she picked the apple up. They were such opposites, and he was as Slytherin as he could be. But it seemed that even the _'arrogant prick'_ was capable of some sympathy.

* * *

Later that morning Griphook returned to the cellar, bruised and battered. But he did as Hermione had asked - after many hours of inspection knowing that it was the real sword, he insisted that it was a fake copy. Hermione was relieved when he told her, and she was in good spirits when Draco came with their morning meal. He seemed quieter and less social than usual, making her curious as to what was happening upstairs.

"Thanks for the apple, and the fire too," Hermione said quietly as he turned to leave. She wondered whether he would actually talk casually to her without any insults, if she talked casually to him. Who knew how long she'd be stuck in the cellar - maybe months? Being his enemy just wasn't worth it, because Draco was right - he _was_ the one with the wand. He stopped at the entrance, and sighed heavily.

"Granger, are you good at Occlumency?" he asked, without turning around.

"I know the concept, but I've never practiced or had lessons," said Hermione in confusion, "why?"

"Never mind," he muttered, stepping out of the cellar. But before he could close the door, Hermione grabbed it and held it open.

"Is he here?" she asked in a whisper.

"Is who here?" Draco replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You know who I mean, stop acting like a-" Hermione hissed.

"Yes, he is here. And he wants to see you in an hour," said Draco grimly.

"And... if he sees what you've done, you'll get in trouble?" Hermione asked in disbelief. He nodded.

"It was just an apple Malfoy, honestly," Hermione laughed, but the situation was far from amusing to him.

"And what about before that, Granger? I'm not allowed to heal prisoners either," said Draco angrily. Hermione hesitated for a moment, thinking of an excuse that could be used.

"I would have died if you didn't, just say that you did it to keep me alive," she said nervously.

"He's not an idiot Granger! Everything matters to him. Me healing you, the fire, the apple, he will see all of this and I'll be the one who gets punished," Draco hissed, trying to pull the door closed, but Hermione held it still.

"Why on earth would he punish you for such little things?" she demanded angrily. She was beginning to dislike Voldemort more and more, which was strange - why should she care if Draco got punished?

"Because being sympathetic towards a mudblood prisoner isn't exactly encouraged around here," Draco spat, wrenching the door out of her hands and closing it.

"This place is horrible," Hermione said grumpily as she leaned against the bars of the door.

"I know, get used to it. Just hope that he doesn't see any of this, because if he does I'll end up in the cellar as well," Draco said as he locked the door.

"I'll try my best with Occlumency," Hermione promised weakly. She felt sorry for him as he left, and realized how cruel life really could be. Putting herself in his shoes, she saw things in a different perspective - in his life, if you disobey, you die. His emotions and feelings didn't matter - all that mattered was doing his job, all that mattered was doing what Voldemort wanted him to do. Knowing that in an hour she would be face to face with Voldemort made her shudder in fear. Was he really a genius like Dumbledore, only evil? Would he find out about the horcruxes? What would his reaction be? The questions whirled around in her head, making her more and more anxious. She tried to remember the things Harry did during his Occlumency lessons, like blocking out thoughts and memories. But it felt useless, having never practiced that magic before. All she could do was wait, and as Draco said - hope.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Time flew by, and before she knew it Draco had returned and unlocked the door. Hermione said goodbye to the other prisoners, wondering if that was the last time she would see them, as she left the cellar. Upstairs in the middle of the day, the Malfoy Manor was buzzing with activity - it was almost like the Order, only full of Death Eaters. She got disgusted glares from every person she walked past, so she simply focused on where Draco was walking and kept close behind him. They went up another floor, and walked down a rather dark corridor. At the far end was a door, which he stopped at. Clearly Voldemort was waiting in there. Hermione could feel her hands sweating slightly as she took a deep breath.

"Wish me luck?" she asked, looking at Draco. It felt like such a foolish thing to ask, but she'd always been wished luck by Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and everyone else she knew.

"You're pushing your luck, mudblood," Draco said coldly, indicating for her to open the door. She glared at him, before opening the door roughly, walking in, and slamming it shut.

"Hermione Granger, muggle-born, Gryffindor, seventh year Hogwarts student and best friend of Harry Potter," said a chilling voice. She turned angrily, and saw Lord Voldemort himself standing behind a desk near the other side of the room. It must have been where Voldemort spent most of his time, because the walls were lined with bookshelves of hundreds of books, none of which looked very pleasant. Hermione had no doubt that this room was filled with more dark knowledge than the whole library at Hogwarts. Fear and anxiety mixed with anger and hatred, as she stayed where she was.

"Sixth year student, actually. I couldn't do my seventh year at Hogwarts, thanks to you," Hermione snapped.

"I have questions. You can either tell me the answers, or I will take them from you," he went on clearly, as if there was no interruption. Hermione often pictured a psychotic evil wizard, but Voldemort was not as people explained. He was evil, his voice was cold, his eyes a shocking red. His expression seemed capable of only showing emotions of anger and fury. His figure was not human, either. But he was passive, intelligent, calculating, which made it more frightening.

"Go to hell," Hermione said, glaring at him defiantly. Her voice shook slightly, but Voldemort got the message. She was scared, but she wasn't going to co-operate.

"So be it," he hissed coldly, raising his wand as he moved towards her. Hermione lifted her chin defiantly, waiting for the torture that was surely coming.

"_Legilimens_!" shouted Voldemort powerfully, and Hermione was not expecting what came next at all. It felt as if her head had been cracked open by the spell, and Voldemort was in control - memories, thoughts and emotions flashed through her mind. Everything he saw, she saw. They were reading her memory together like a book, though it was Voldemort turning the pages. The memories started very early, her first day at Hogwarts when she was put in Gryffindor. The first time Draco called her a _'Mudblood'_ in her second year. Memories of using the Time-Turner in her third year, so that she could take on extra classes. Helping Harry during the Triwizard tournament in their fourth year. Creating the _'Dumbledore's Army'_ and defying Professor Umbridge. Memories of Draco and the Slytherin's bullying her, Harry and Ron. Memory after memory of her perfect school marks in every subject, continued flashing through - perfect marks, and extraordinary magic. Memories of teachers reminding her how brilliant she was. Voldemort seemed to take an interest in her intelligence. To Tom Riddle, it reminded him of his own brilliance at Hogwarts when he was her age.

Then the memories pushed onwards, flashing quickly - Hermione could barely keep track. Harry complaining about his nightmares, Harry insisting that he hates Snape, Harry unable to learn Occlumency, Harry seeing Voldemort do terrible things in his nightmares... it was all about Harry now. Voldemort was learning as much as he could, all from her eyes. She felt terrible, and attempted to push the thoughts out, block the memories. But Voldemort was indeed the master of Legilimency, and there was nothing she could do. Then the memories became more recent. She was staying at The Burrow with the Order of the Phoenix, memories of all the members. Voldemort seemed uninterested in this, and pushed further forwards. Hermione could sense his hunger for knowledge - he was searching, searching with all his power. She could also sense her own panic as she tried to stop the memories from coming. Then the memory of Ron holding the broken locket - Slytherin's locket, smashed, and the Gryffindor's sword in his other hand. The memory replayed, and Hermione sensed fear, confusion in Voldemort. Disbelief, anger, rage. Memories flooded through, making her head ache - these were Voldemort's memories, as he remembered putting the locket in the basin of potion. How had these teenagers taken it from him?

His anger made him search faster. It was all about horcruxes now. Tom Riddle's diary, stabbed by the basilisk fang. Marvolo's Ring, broken with Gryffindor's sword. He continued searching, _'three gone... three destroyed'_. After what seemed like ages of horcruxes, he moved forwards again to the most recent memories. Hermione casting the body binding spell on Harry and Ron, so that they could escape. Her being captured and tortured by Bellatrix, Draco levitating her and locking her in the cellar. Voldemort seemed interested in everything recent, everything she had done in the last few days. No matter how desperate she attempted to stop the memories, they kept coming. Her cuts, slowly killing her as she begged Draco to heal her. Draco reluctantly healing them, and making the fire. Draco stopping the snake from hurting her. Then it all changed once again - all of the focus was on Draco. The memories flashed rapidly, every time he'd bullied her, called her names in corridors flooded past. Her punching him in the face in her third year. Memories of how strained and pale Malfoy seemed in their sixth year, while he tried to assassinate Dumbledore. Their constant fighting in the Malfoy Manor just yesterday. The apple rolling into the cellar, her smile. Him asking her if she was good at Occlumency, saying that _'being sympathetic towards a mudblood prisoner isn't exactly encouraged'_. Her asking for good luck before entering the room. Her slamming the door, her telling Voldemort to _'go to hell'_. The sudden feeling of her head being cracked open by the Legilimens spell.

Then her eyes burst open, and she was back to reality - she was lying on the ground, sweating all over, and shaking uncontrollably. She felt dizzy as she noticed that Voldemort was leaning against the desk, looking rather tired and shocked as well.

"How did you know about the horcruxes?" Voldemort demanded, his eyes ablaze with red fury.

"I'm not telling you anything-" Hermione hissed.

"Tell me! _Crucio_!" Voldemort screamed, his wand lashing out and causing Hermione to scream in pain. The power of the spell was far greater than Bellatrix, a pain that she had never experienced before. It was enough to make anyone willing to answer truthfully.

"Tell me or I will take it from you again!" said the cold, hate-filled voice. He was right. Better to say it, than have him scourge her memories and find something else that she didn't want him to find.

"D-dumbledore! He knew about your horcruxes and he knew how to defeat you," Hermione gasped. She was satisfied to see Voldemort looking demented with fury at this.

"_Dumbledore_, the old fool," Voldemort hissed to himself.

"He's actually a genius," Hermione said coldly.

"He's a fool because he's dead, and I'm the one who is immortal," snapped Voldemort superiorly.

"You won't be immortal for long, Harry will stop you," Hermione said proudly as she stood up.

"Potter is a weakling, no one can defeat me!" Voldemort shouted.

"If you're going to kill me, you'd better get it over with now," Hermione said angrily. There was a pause as Voldemort considered his next move, but Hermione had a feeling that he wasn't going to kill her. There had to be a reason for him taking interest in her childhood and school grades, because he was trying to figure out her personality. And just like Ollivander had said, Voldemort was keeping him alive simply because of his knowledge of wands. If he wasn't a wand-maker, he would have been killed a year ago. Hermione was no different - she still had information on Harry, and being Hermione Granger, she could be used against Harry.

"I only kill those who are useless to me. You have important information on Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I want to infiltrate the Order and capture Potter - I could do this by taking some of your hair and having Snape create a Polyjuice potion. But of course, the Order have their own secret passwords and ways of discovering imposters. Another way would be putting you under the Imperius curse, but again with enough willpower you could break free of the spell, and you would escape-" said Voldemort, thinking of a new tactic aloud as he spoke.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Hermione interrupted angrily.

"Because you are gifted with a brilliant mind, like myself, like Dumbledore. You and I both know there is only one way I can infiltrate the Order, and that is if you co-operate. The choice is yours, do everything I ask and be free of the cellar. Or go back to the cellar, where you will starve and rot until you die miserably," said Voldemort coldly as he glared at her. Hermione shook her head in disgust; there was absolutely no way she would agree to whatever he had in mind. She would much rather be in the cellar with the other prisoners, than to help turn over her best friend.

"No."

"_Crucio_!"

* * *

Hermione was later thrown onto the ground in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor. There were dim lights shining above the long table, and all of the Death Eaters were seated for what looked like some sort of meeting. Draco had a bad feeling about what was going to happen; he didn't want to watch Hermione die, no matter how much they hated each other. He'd seen enough people die since his sixth year, and there was nothing pleasant about it.

"I have retrieved very important information from this mudblood, and she is of no use to me any longer," said Voldemort, seated at the far end of the table.

"Let me kill the filth, my lord!" Bellatrix hissed eagerly, but Vldemort held up his hand for silence.

"No, Draco must do this to make up for his failure to kill Dumbledore," said Voldemort coldly, a wicked smile forming on his lips.

Everyone turned to Draco, who was sitting at the table near Hermione, his eyes wide with shock. His bad feeling was confirmed, this was his opportunity to _'redeem'_ himself, and his family. He remembered Dumbledore's words, '_Draco, you are not a killer. We can help you._' How could anyone help him? It was just like last year, he didn't have any options and if he failed to do what Voldemort asked a second time, he was going to die. He looked to his parents for some sort of support, or guidance. Lucius was watching him murderously, expecting him to uphold the family honor by killing the mudblood. Narcissa had already began to openly sob, which was the only sound in the room, as she looked from Voldemort to her son.

Draco slowly stood up, and moved to where Hermione was lying. He drew his wand, trying to calm his heart rate, trying to take deep breaths. All he had to do was say the words, she didn't mean anything to him. Just say the words, get it over with, and Voldemort will leave his family alone. His wand hand shook vigorously, and sweat began to break out on his forehead. Hermione looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling with tears. What on earth had she done to deserve this? What on earth had _he _done to deserve this? He was only sixteen, and the act of killing a girl his own age was just inhuman.

"I - I can't-" Draco said, his voice shaking just as much as his wand.

"_Kill her_!" Voldemort hissed wickedly.

"_Ava_-" Draco started, his voice and hand trembling terribly.

"N-no! Don't do it, please don-" Hermione pleaded, looking at Draco desperately. He was the only one she could rely on at that moment. Her life was depending on him.

"DO IT!" Voldemort screamed furiously. But it was too late, after Hermione pleaded for him to not kill her, he just couldn't do it. It was hard enough when he was face to face with Dumbledore, and Dumbledore hadn't pleaded at all. His wand-hand dropped to his side, and his wand clattered to the ground - he didn't even bother holding it any more. The Death Eaters at the table muttered in what sounded like shame, but a few of them felt rather sorry for him. They all knew that Voldemort was targeting Draco on purpose. This was all just part of his and Lucius' punishments.

"You can rot in the cellar with the rest of them," Voldemort spat furiously, but Narcissa looked hysterical as she continued crying.

"P-please not my son! I'm b-begging you m-my lord, don't do this!" she begged, her pleading sounded almost identical to Hermione's. But Voldemort paid no attention to her, as he ordered Wormtail to lock Draco and Hermione back into the cellar.

* * *

Hours had passed and it was night-time, although you couldn't tell in the cellar. There were now six prisoners. Griphook and Dean sat in their own corner, mainly quiet and often keeping to themselves. Mr Ollivander, Luna and Hermione sat in another corner, and they seemed to be the only ones socializing. Draco was sitting by himself, as far away from the rest as possible. He hadn't said a word to anyone, and he especially didn't want to talk to Hermione. To put it simply, he felt as though his world had just been turned upside down. All because of the mudblood, he was separated from his parents, turned from loyal Death Eater to prisoner, and locked in a depressing cellar, destined to die. Even though he knew it was his fault, he still felt as though it was hers. Sure, he was given the opportunity to kill her, but he couldn't do it because she... was Hermione Granger. The ultimate goodie, the bookworm, the type of person who went out of her way to help others. It was her fault for just being _her_. Hermione was often glancing over at him shyly, and despite trying to ignore her, he looked over and made eye contact. Taking this as an invitation, Hermione walked over to where he was sitting against the wall and sat down beside him. There was silence for a few minutes, as Draco refused to talk. It was clear to Hermione that he was in a very bad mood, but she ignored this.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, breaking the silence.

"I don't want your thanks, and I sure as hell don't want to talk to you. It's your fault I'm stuck in this damn cellar," Draco burst out angrily.

"How is it my fault? You made a choice, Malfoy, and you made the right choice. You did a decent thing, and I'm grateful, I owe you my life," said Hermione in exasperation.

"You have no life, not anymore. The Dark Lord will win this war, and everyone in this cellar is going to die," Draco spat, looking away from her. He believed every word he was saying - because to him, who could kill Voldemort? Sure, Harry Potter was the '_Chosen One_', but Potter was a scared little coward who'd been hiding for months with the mudblood sitting beside him. They weren't fighting a war, they were hiding in the dark like scared little children. They were hiding in safety, while Draco was fighting alongside Death Eaters, risking his life - attempting to kill Dumbledore for example. And Gryffindor's were meant to be the brave ones?

"Ugh, you're so negative-" Hermione muttered, having opposite thoughts entirely. She knew all about the horcruxes, Harry and Ron were still free to stop Voldemort. And once they rescued her - which she hoped they would do very soon - she could help finish the mission Dumbledore had left them. There was still a fighting chance, and there always would be.

"Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows! It's about time you damn _Gryffindor's_ wake up and face reality!" Draco growled, beginning to get very worked up in the argument that was forming.

"Face reality? Life has been torture for Harry! Do you honestly think that we've had it easy for the past few months?" Hermione hissed furiously.

"You've had it easier than me, I can promise you that," said Draco ignorantly.

"For months me, Harry and Ron have been on the run, with no food, scared for our lives because of you Death Eater _monsters_!" Hermione said, getting equally worked up. Draco glared at her angrily. How ignorant could she be? That was the whole reason she'd had it easy - they were always running! Away from danger, away from fear. Which again, in his mind, made them cowards. He'd been stuck in the middle of it all, in the worst part of the war. He'd been ordered to assassinate Dumbledore, watch his father be punished by Voldemort, ordered to torture prisoners. Life was hell for him, and Hermione had absolutely no idea.

"Yeah? Well at least you've been able to run. At least you had choices, cause I never had any. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a Death Eater anymore, thanks to you," he snapped.

"Well you're still a monster. I remember when we were little, you always bullied me and called me names. Sometimes I was too scared to go to class because of people like you," Hermione said with a hurt expression. The memories of him when Voldemort had used Legilimency on her were still vividly in the back of her mind, as if they'd only happened yesterday, when she saw Draco. Sure, he was older, a little bit more _'mature'_. He didn't use the childish nicknames that he used to use, and he didn't strut around all Malfoy-like anymore. But he still called her a mudblood, and he was still a jerk. Or maybe it was just an old grudge that she couldn't get over. She hadn't figured it out yet.

"That has nothing to do with this!" Draco said exasperatedly, completely bewildered by what she'd said. That was years ago! They were arguing about the last few months, not when they were twelve.

"Oh yes it does. You made our lives hell for years, and so has You-Know-Who. You've had it much easier than us, especially at Hogwarts," snapped Hermione.

"I don't care. I really don't care, about you, about your friends, anything. None of it matters anymore, because we're going to die here," Draco said quickly, shaking his head and standing up to get away from her. He'd had enough of arguing with the bookworm, because she would never admit she was wrong. Just like in school, she was still a know-it-all, he thought to himself with a bit of a smirk.

"'_Where there's a will, there's a way'_," Hermione quoted, also standing up.

"Where'd you learn that? A book?" Draco sneered as he walked away from her.

"No, it's a muggle saying. And it means if we have enough determination, we can always solve the problem," Hermione said as she followed him through the cellar. Draco shook his head - he was definitely going to win this argument.

"Oh really? Ollivander, is it in any way possible to get out of here? How many things have you tried?" Draco demanded, looking at the old thin man who was sitting against a wall. Draco and Ollivander were almost on a first-name basis - after all, it was Draco and Wormtail who'd been keeping the old wand-maker alive for the last two years. And Draco also knew every escape attempt that Ollivander had tried. Everyone looked at Mr Ollivander, who took a deep breath.

"The door is indestructible. I've searched every inch of the floor, walls and roof - they are all solid as stone. There is no physical way out. Apparating out of this room is impossible. Wandless magic is also impossible. Animagus transformation is impossible, as is ordinary transfiguration, port keys and Patronus charms. The entire cellar has been enchanted. The only way to escape, is by attacking the next person who opens that door and taking their wand," said Mr Ollivander wisely. It took him a while to state all the things he had tried. As he finished, Draco smirked triumphantly at Hermione, who scowled.

"Fine. Just sit in your corner, all depressed and cold, waiting to die, if that's what you want," Hermione spat, crossing her arms furiously.

"Good. I'll do exactly that, mudblood," said Draco, sitting against the wall again. Hermione was the only one standing, the only one who still thought escape was possible. It frustrated her to see the other prisoners just lazing about. Surely there had to be _something_? Luna had a few ideas, all of which involved some sort of creature or object that didn't exist - which, if possible, annoyed Hermione even more. She began pacing, trying to remember something from her six years of education that could help.

"Sit down, your constant pacing is so distracting," said Draco irritably.

"Oh, what's it distracting you from? I can't see you doing anything else that's useful," Hermione snapped at him.

"I'm saving my energy so I can live longer, not that it'll make any difference," he said coldly. They glared at each other, then Hermione began pacing again, making Draco sigh angrily. They simply were not meant to be in such close proximity; they were opposite in every way, whatever one did seemed to annoy the other. Giving up on telling her to stop, Draco simply watched her walk instead. Hermione ignored his staring, knowing that he was doing it on purpose to make her uncomfortable. She just kept thinking of as many different forms of magic as she could.

"Your little muggle brain just doesn't stop buzzing, does it?" Draco smirked, breaking the silence.

"I don't have a _muggle_ brain! I have a magical brain and I'm smarter than you, so don't talk to me like I'm dumb," Hermione said angrily. Draco snickered to himself. Annoying her seemed to be much more entertaining than constant silence.

"Aha! I have it!" Hermione suddenly squealed in excitement.

"Mudbloods... they truly are the most unusual creatures," Draco said sarcastically, watching her as she hopped up and down.

"Magical creatures! The spell that stops apparating in here is designed to stop humans from apparating, but not creatures!" said Hermione quickly, overjoyed that she'd figured it out.

"And what creature do you expect to apparate in here and rescue us? A unicorn?" snickered Draco in amusement.

"No, a house elf! Harry will send Dobby or Kreacher, I'm sure of it. It's only a matter of time," said Hermione. It was her turn to smirk as Draco blinked stupidly. Mr Ollivander smiled.

"Ah, house elves - brilliant idea, Hermione. But I'm afraid that until Mr Potter thinks of that idea... we are still going to be stuck here," said the old man. Hermione nodded, sitting in between Mr Ollivander and Draco with a smile and new aura of energy. Draco shook his head and moved away from her a bit - her smile was almost contagious, but there was no way he'd be celebrating with them.

"I know. He'll send Dobby, I know he will," Hermione said confidently.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Earlier the day before, Harry and Ron arrived at The Burrow and spread the news of what had happened to Hermione. No matter how much Ron urged them to take action, many of the Order members insisted that they think of a proper plan, like Harry had. So they spent most of their time at The Burrow discussing what they could do, and it was only when Hagrid arrived that they finally thought of something. Lupin had been insisting that the Manor was far too large to break into and find Hermione without being caught. Mr Weasley had done Ministry raids on the Manor years ago, when he was searching for dark artifacts - and suspected that the cellar was the most obvious place that prisoners would be kept. But even so, it was risky to try. There was only one certain plan that would work, and Hagrid helped them figure it out.

"They would definitely have anti-Apparition enchantments on the cellar," said Lupin when Ron suggested to apparate.

"Apparatin fer wizards won' work, but creatures magic is diff'rent," said Hagrid, reminding them that he was a Care of Magical Creatures professor. This got the others thinking, as they looked at him thoughtfully.

"Hagrid do you - do you mean like elf magic? Dobby once told me that elf magic was different to wizards," said Harry curiously.

"'Course it is, how do yeh think all the house elves apparate round Hogwarts when us wizards can't? It's diff'rent magic," said Hagrid proudly. He'd never been the most intelligent of the Order, but when it came to creatures he knew a surprising amount.

"And Dobby used to live at Malfoy's house... he'll know where the cellar is and everything!" said Ron incredulously. The two best friends suddenly had a spark of hope - this was their chance to save Hermione. Without telling the others, Harry knew exactly what he had to do.

"_Dobby_!" Harry called, and an instant later the small house elf appeared with a loud _crack_, in the middle of the room. He looked very much the same as he always had, although because of Dumbledore passing away, he was wearing less socks. Clearly Snape and the Carrow's didn't believe in paying house elves like Dumbledore did. But no one paid any attention to his socks - they were all looking at him in urgency.

"Harry Potter, sir! It is wonderful to see you again!" squeaked Dobby, as he looked around at all the strained faces.

"It's great to see you too, Dobby. Listen, can you apparate into the cellar at the Malfoy Manor?" Harry asked, crouching in front of the elf.

"Easily, sir. Why must Dobby go back to his old masters home?" asked Dobby nervously.

"Hermione is stuck in the cellar, she's a prisoner. You have to save her and bring her here, okay?" Harry asked, and before he'd even finished the sentence Dobby was nodding.

"Yes sir!" replied the elf in determination. Before anyone else could interfere, he had clicked his fingers and vanished on the spot. It had all happened so fast, and Harry sat back with a wide smile as he looked at Ron. Dobby really was a life-saver.

* * *

"It's only a matter of time now," said Hermione, breaking the agonizing silence once more.

"You've said that for the past four hours. Shut up!" Draco snapped, getting into a more comfortable position. He was lying on his stomach, attempting to get to sleep. He firmly believed that no house elf was coming, otherwise it would have happened earlier. And even if an elf did come, why would that matter to him? It wasn't like the mudblood would let him escape with her. Besides, the Order probably abandoned Granger, and he couldn't blame them. She was annoying as _f-_

"You're just angry because I figured it out," Hermione continued smugly. Draco rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time.

"Whatever," he muttered in reply, "you little nerd."

"See! You can't accept being wrong so you have to insult me to make yourself feel better," said Hermione exasperatedly. It had been going on for quite some time, a constant back and forth bickering to pass the time. It was a very dull cellar, and the only thing to do was talk – no matter who the conversation was with. After spending the previous two days talking to Mr Ollivander and Luna, there wasn't much to talk about with them. And since they were enemies, frustrating Malfoy seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

"I'm sick of talking to you. I don't socialize with mudbloods and Gryffindor's," Draco said as he closed his eyes and tried, once again, to block her out. But there was a sudden '_crack_!' and his eyes shot open in alarm. There stood Dobby - his old house elf.

"Miss Hermione! Dobby has been sent by Harry Potter to rescue you from the cellar at Malfoy Ma-" Dobby began to say, a bit too loud.

"I know, I know! Shh, we don't want anyone upstairs hearing," Hermione said urgently.

"We must go at once!" said Dobby as he moved towards her.

"Wait, Dobby! Take Mr Ollivander, Luna, Dean and Griphook first, okay? Then come straight back for me," Hermione said, pointing to the other prisoners. Dobby obeyed instantly, and he quickly held Griphook's and Dean's hands - a moment later, all three of them vanished on the spot. Mr Ollivander stood up weakly as his eyes began to water with tears of happiness.

"I can't believe it, two years I've been here!" said the old man, overjoyed.

"Goodbye Luna, goodbye Mr Ollivander! I'll be right after you," Hermione said happily, hugging them both warmly. Dobby returned and swiftly left again with a _crack_, this time vanishing with Luna and Ollivander. It all happened so fast, and all that remained was Hermione and Draco, staring at each other in silence. Draco didn't know what to say - he knew Hermione was going to leave without him. She was part of the Order, and he was part of ... nothing. They barely knew each other, they still hated each other, so it wasn't like he could say goodbye. There was an air of awkwardness, as neither of them knew what to say.

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know. Die here, I suppose," Draco answered, moving into a sitting position against the wall. He looked miserable, and almost embarrassed. Hermione couldn't blame him, he was a prisoner in his own house, and she was going to leave him there to die. She imagined what it would be like if she was left in the cellar alone, and knew that it was a horrible thing to imagine. The act of leaving someone else was even worse.

"Come with me, Malfoy," said Hermione firmly. He looked up at her in surprise.

"You can't be serious?" he asked. There was yet another _crack_, and Dobby appeared in between them.

"I'm serious! Come with me!" she urged, offering her hand. Dobby looked back and forth between them, his ears flapping - even the elf was surprised.

"I don't belong there, Granger. I'll just be a prisoner of the Order as well, and they'll probably hand me over to Azkaban," Draco muttered, staring at the ground.

"They wouldn't do that, and besides, you don't even deserve to go to Azkaban. You haven't killed anyone, Malfoy," Hermione insisted. Draco considered it, running his hand through his blonde hair. He knew this was his only chance of survival, but what would happen to his mother and father? Unlike Hermione, he didn't have an Order of friends and people that loved him. All he had was his parents, and if he left, their lives would definitely be in danger. As he thought about all of this, he made a promise to himself that if he ever got the opportunity, he would come back for them. With that, he secretly thanked god for Hermione's sympathy at that moment. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was a Gryffindor.

"Fine then, I'll go with you," he said as he stood up. Hermione smiled slightly and quickly turned to Dobby.

"Before we go, Dobby, we need to get a few things from upstairs. Our wands, and the sword of Gryffindor - it is incredibly important that we get them, Harry would want that," Hermione said as she moved towards the entrance.

"Very well, miss! Dobby will protect you from harm!" squeaked the elf. He grabbed Hermione's and Draco's hands and disapparated out of the cellar. They re-appeared upstairs, and were engulfed in complete darkness. Luckily it was night time, the lights were out and nobody was in the drawing room.

"Where are our wands? And the sword?" Hermione whispered to Draco in the darkness. He had to know where they hid the prisoners items, and Hermione wanted to be as fast as possible.

"One floor up, in one of the rooms. Follow me," Draco muttered as he began moving. Dobby only followed Hermione, since he was probably still weary of his old master. Hermione tried to follow Draco, but it was so dark she could barely see her hands in front of her.

"I can't see you, slow down!" she whispered, feeling rather scared. They were stumbling in the silent darkness, and whispering was loud enough to catch someones attention from upstairs. Suddenly she walked straight into Draco, who had stopped and turned around.

"Damn it Granger, you said slow down," he growled from in front of her. Hermione slipped her hand into his, holding it tightly.

"Go now," she said quietly. Draco felt kind of awkward holding her hand, but he nodded and they all began moving again. He must have known the house very well to know where he was going in the dark - Hermione had no idea where they were. They began walking up stairs, and she had to concentrate not to trip. They moved down an upstairs corridor, and Draco stopped in front of a door.

"This is it. It's locked," he said, fiddling with the door handle. They heard footsteps, and turned to look down the corridor in shock.

"_Lumos_!" hissed a voice, the light filling up the corridor. The person holding the wand was Bellatrix, her eyes fixed on them. Hermione stiffened in fear.

"I'll kill you! All three of you!" Bellatrix screamed, "_Avada_-"

"Dobby can apparate inside!" said Dobby before her, grabbing both their arms and apparating again. They re-appeared inside the room, and searched it as fast as they could. Hermione's heart was pounding and her hands shaking. She found the two wands in a drawer, and snatched them up quickly. She helped Draco search for sword, and just as he pointed towards it, the door was blasted open. Everything next went in slow motion. Draco dived for the sword, his hands gripping the hilt. Bellatrix raised her wand, pointing it towards Hermione, her eyes gleaming in triumph.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" she screamed. Hermione saw the blinding flash of green light, thinking it would be her last memory. But Dobby had jumped in front of her, taking the spell directly in the chest.

"_Dobby_!" Hermione screamed, as Draco got back up holding the sword.

"_Serpensortia!_" Bellatrix screeched next, but Hermione had already wrapped her arms around Draco and turned on the spot.

* * *

It felt like being pulled through a rubber tube, as they disapparated from Malfoy Manor. A few seconds later, and they were toppling over each other onto leaves and dirt. Hermione opened her eyes to see where they were, and she was confused to see that they had landed in a forest. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just going down. Then she heard a hissing sound, and a shout of pain from beside her. She screamed in fright, drawing her wand - the snake Bellatrix summoned had bitten Draco on the arm and held on through the disapparation.

"_Relashio!_" she said shrilly. Her spell hit the snake and threw it off Draco - who quickly rolled away from it, holding his arm and cursing in pain. The snake prepared to strike again, hissing viciously.

"_Reducto!_" Hermione shouted, the spell causing the snake to explode. She hurried over to Draco and kneeled beside him.

"Let me see it," she said urgently, trying to pull his hand away - but he was gripping the snake-bite tightly and refused to let go.

"Don't touch it!" he growled in pain.

"I have to heal it Malfoy! Move your hand!" Hermione insisted. He reluctantly obeyed with his eyes tightly shut in pain.

"_Episkey_," Hermione murmured gently, healing the wound slowly. Draco laid back slightly, as all that remained was a tiny pink scar - but the pain of the venom remained. The mood began to calm, as they both took deep breaths while lying back on the dirt and leaves.

"Will that stop the venom?" Draco asked, talking about the healing spell.

"Yes, but it will take a few hours at least. We can't apparate again until the venom is out of your system," Hermione answered as she put her wand away.

"How on earth do you know that?" asked Draco curiously.

"I listen in Potions class. Snape has been teaching us all about poisons and venoms since our first year, Malfoy," said Hermione in exasperation.

"Whatever," muttered Draco, not wanting to talk about school with the nerdy mudblood at all.

He turned away and began thinking of Bellatrix - it was amazing how much he hated that witch. Now that he was finally free of Malfoy Manor, he could think freely without fear of Voldemort using Legilimency on him. Originally Bellatrix was his favourite aunt because she encouraged him to become a Death Eater, and in front of the others she stood up for him. Originally, he thought it was an honor, a privilege to become the youngest Death Eater. And it was thanks to Bellatrix. But ever since the Dumbledore mission, it all went downhill. Bellatrix said that he should be proud, despite how scared he was. His mother only wanted him to be safe, and urged him to let Snape do the job instead. But Draco was determined to complete the mission. All his life he was second best compared to Potter. Potter was the best Seeker, Potter had all the fame, Potter was the '_Chosen One_'. And now finally Draco felt as though he was the '_Chosen One_' amongst the Death Eaters. He finally had a chance to prove himself.

Looking back on it now, he almost smirked at himself. How wrong and naive could he have been? As the sixth year progressed he began to think it was impossible; but the constant reminder from Voldemort was always in the back of his mind. If he failed, his family would be killed. He had no choice, and he began to realize that he desperately didn't know what he'd signed up for. The stress, fear and enormity of the task crashed down on his shoulders - it was beyond depressing. Even Potter had noticed something was different that year. And it all came back to Bellatrix: she wouldn't have cared if Draco had died. As long as Dumbledore died and Voldemort was pleased, no-one else mattered to her.

"I hate Bellatrix," Draco said aloud, after a few minutes of thinking about all this. He'd never said that, and he liked the sudden freedom to speak his mind.

"She scares me. I never, never want to go back to that place again - I still can't believe she killed Dobby, after he saved us!" said Hermione sadly.

_Us_. The word sounded so odd to Draco when he heard her say it, he even glanced over at her curiously. But to his surprise and complete confusion, she was crying.

"What could you possibly be crying about?" asked Draco in bewilderment. Hermione wiped her eyes in embarrassment and sniffed slightly.

"I liked Dobby," she said quietly.

"He was just a house-elf Granger, you can buy another one-" Draco snorted in amusement.

"House-elves have feelings and emotions too, Malfoy. They're not just animals to be bought and sold for profit," said Hermione angrily, as more tears rolled down her cheek. Draco remembered her whole '_S.P.E.W_' thing, and her weird love of house-elves from when they were little. It seemed that she still liked house-elves a little too much, and he shook his head at how unusual she was. He also couldn't understand how frail she seemed, just crying over a dead little creature. What did it matter? She's alive and free, shouldn't she be celebrating?

But once again he was glad that she was around, or else he would've died sometime in the cold night from the snake venom. Or maybe if she'd just never been captured, absolutely none of this would have happened. Technically it was still her fault. But would he rather be a Death Eater, still stuck in Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix and Voldemort? Was that better than being in a random forest with a girl on the opposite side of a war? He was relatively free now, but as soon as he ended up in the Order's hands, they were probably going to lock him up in a cellar of their own. He was still unsure about going to the Order with her, and it was kind of lucky that he couldn't apparate - because now he had no-where else to go. Hermione had stopped crying and was wiping her eyes, and Draco felt awkward so he changed the subject.

"Why on earth are we in a forest? I was thinking of Diagon Alley," said Draco in confusion.

"I was thinking of home," Hermione said with a blush of embarrassment.

"Great work mudblood," Draco muttered in frustration.

"Diagon Alley is probably swarming with Death Eaters anyway. You should have just let me think of the place," Hermione said bossily as she stood up.

"If I let you think of the place, we would've ended up at your filthy _muggle_ home," Draco said with distaste from the ground.

"My muggle home is actually quite nice, my parents are dentists," said Hermione proudly.

"They're _what_?" asked Draco in confusion, "what the hell is a _dentist_?"

"Oh, it's a muggle job," laughed Hermione, remembering that he wouldn't have any idea what muggle jobs were like. It amazed her how different they really were, how they'd come from completely different backgrounds. Draco shook his head, and decided to ignore all conversation involving muggles.

"Where exactly are we going to sleep?" he demanded. They both noticed that the sun had almost completely gone down, and it was already beginning to get dark. Hermione shrugged, waving her arms around them, looking at the plants, trees and leaves. Draco raised an eyebrow coldly.

"I'm not sleeping in dirt," he said in disgust.

"Why? Is it too _mudblood_-like for you?" Hermione asked crossly.

"Yeah, it is," Draco sneered.

"Well you don't have much choice. You're lucky, at least you have a cloak and long pants. I'm going to be freezing," said Hermione as she looked down at her ripped and torn clothes.

* * *

At The Burrow the four people who arrived - Mr Ollivander, Luna, Dean and Griphook - were taken care of, each telling their own story of how they came to be in the cellar. Mr Ollivander had been kidnapped two years earlier by Death Eaters, and forced to help Voldemort with wands ever since. Luna had been taken prisoner by Death Eaters, in an attempt to force her father to capture Harry Potter. Dean and Griphook had been captured the same way Hermione had - by snatchers. Harry, Ron, Hagrid, Lupin and Mr Weasley waited in the room where Dobby had disapparated from. The mood was tense and impatient. No one said a word. Where was Dobby? He got those four so fast, and now no Hermione?

"She's getting the wands and sword back," said Harry aloud.

"I think so too," Lupin agreed with a firm nod.

"Shouldn't take too long, they'll be here any minute," Harry continued. But the minutes ticked by painfully. Mrs Weasley returned, with Luna who was excited to see Hermione again. But the expected Dobby and Hermione did not return, and the minutes slowly stretched into hours.

"They have to be dead, if they're not here, where else could they be?" Ron said at last, his face very pale and his eyes empty of all hope.

"Don't talk like that Ron!" Mrs Weasley hissed. But they were all thinking the same thing - if Dobby couldn't disapparate, what else could have happened? Unless Dobby died and Hermione disapparated to the wrong place. But the chance was a slim one, and they were all beginning to think the worst had happened.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Night had fallen, and the two escapees were walking deeper into the forest, away from where they had arrived. The first thing they instantly began to realize was the cold. Wherever this forestwas, it was very, very cold. The only light was the bright full moon, like a beacon as it shined down on them from the pitch black sky. They found a spot where the trees were huge - thick and tall - and Hermione quickly began looking for firewood. The plan was to find a spot where they'd be hard to find, behind lots of trees. Their breaths came out as mist on the chilling night air. Draco sat down, leaned against a tree and huddled up for warmth while Hermione built the fire. It annoyed Hermione that he wasn't helping - of course he didn't have to help out, because of his pureblood superiority. He put the sword of Gryffindor beside him, and held his arm in pain.

"How's your arm?" Hermione asked curiously. Her voice shook slightly as she shivered from the cold.

"It's burning," he replied in pain. Mist swirled around them both from their fast, cold breathing.

"It's the venom. Like I said, it will take a few hours for the magic to kill all the venom in your body," said Hermione. She decided to ignore the fact that he wasn't helping, since he was in pain. Her shivering was getting worse, and it felt as if the cold was biting into her skin. After a minute or two she'd finally put enough small sticks and bark into a pile.

"_Incendio_!" she hissed, igniting the pile into a warm fire. She then jumped down beside it, warming her hands and body. Draco moved away from his tree to get closer, on the opposite side of the fire. He was beginning to shake as well, even with the cloak. Minutes passed in silence, but the fire just wasn't big enough to warm them both. Hermione's shivering got worse, to the point where she couldn't stop. Draco noticed this, watching from across the fire with a slightly worried expression.

"It's s-so c-cold," Hermione shivered, her breath forming a cloud of mist around her.

"I know," Draco replied shortly, saving his breath. He was much warmer, as the large cloak helped trap the heat like a blanket around him. Hermione's bare skin on her stomach and legs was ice cold. She looked at the cloak longingly. Nearly twenty minutes had passed in silence, and Hermione was getting colder and colder as the time went by. Finally, she could no longer stand it.

"M-Malfoy, t-the c-cloak is b-big e-enough f-for t-two p-people," said Hermione, struggling to pronounce the words because of her shaking voice and chattering teeth. As she was saying this, to make matters worse, it began to rain.

"Y-you're n-not s-serious?" Draco said, but he knew she was right. The rain made her ripped clothes soaked, and the fire went out - she was going to freeze to death if she stayed that way. She considered using a hot-air charm with her wand, but it wouldn't stop the rain, and it couldn't cover her whole body like a cloak. Draco moved backwards under the tree and leaned against the thick trunk. Left alone in the rain, Hermione had no other choice - she hurriedly crawled over as well. They both sat against the same large tree, avoiding most of the rain. But Hermione's clothes were so soaked that she would've been warmer without them on. Her lips had turned blue and she was looking at the cloak desperately. What other choice did she have?

"M-Malfoy _p-please_," she shivered. Draco sighed and considered saying no, but she was going to die if he didn't share the warmth. Reluctantly he raised the cloak for her. Hermione moved underneath it, shakily wrapping her arms around him with her head on his chest. Draco swore - she literally felt like ice, and she refused to let go.

"D-damn it y-you're s-so c-cold," he said shakily, wrapping the cloak around them both. Minutes ticked past, and the rain began to poor down harder than ever. Luckily they were under such a large tree, so the rain only dripped down on them. The wind was like an icy whip, and Draco was forced to cover them both completely under the cloak. Thought of them being enemies seemed to vanish, as Hermione cuddled closer to get warm. Draco awkwardly put his arms around her waist, because there was no-where else to put them. She stiffened when he touched her, but didn't move - she was the one hugging him, after all. As time went by, it began to work: their body heat warmed them both, and after an hour the shaking had stopped. Draco couldn't help but notice the way her soaking clothes had stuck to her body, outlining her slim figure. The rain had also tamed her bushy hair, making it long and wavy. For a mudblood, she was actually kind of-

He shook his head - what on earth was he thinking? He considered pushing her off of him. They were warm now, and that was the whole point, right? But he looked down and realized that she had fallen asleep with her head on his chest.

"Bloody hell," Draco muttered to himself. With a sigh, he left her to sleep and closed his eyes too.

* * *

The next morning, Draco woke up first. He looked down, noticing that Hermione was still asleep and securely attached to him. Underneath the cloak was very hot and stuffy, so he pushed the cloak off of his head to see what time it was. Cool wind brushed against his face, and he realized that it was morning. A perfect morning too - no rain, no hurricane-like wind, no chilling air. The sun shined brightly through the tree's branches onto them, filling the area with colours of green and yellow. He pushed the cloak completely off of him, and looked at Hermione again. How was he going to wake her up? He laid there, wondering what to do for a few minutes. She looked so peaceful and relaxed. Then, finally, he sighed and tapped her shoulder.

"Granger," he muttered, "Granger, wake up." She was fast asleep however, and he could feel her chest rising and falling against his side. He then awkwardly held her shoulder, pushing it back and forth.

"Mudblood, wake up," he said again, louder this time. Her eyes fluttered open, as she breathed in deeply and lifted her head.

"W-what?" said Hermione drowsily, unsure of where she was.

"Get up. It's morning," said Draco impatiently. She looked up at him, then down and realized that she was holding onto him and that she had fallen asleep that way. She gasped and let go, blushing bright red in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! It was freezing and I must have..." she began, trailing off.

"Fallen asleep on me?" Draco smirked, getting up and stretching.

"I'm so embarrassed. Don't tell anyone," Hermione said as she also stood up. Her neck was sore from the position she had fallen asleep in.

"I'm embarrassed too, a mudblood was lying on me all night," replied Draco, flexing the arm that had been bitten. All that remained was a tiny pink scar, and he felt fine. Hermione glared at him.

"I bet you liked it," Draco snickered, unable to stop himself. Hermione rolled her eyes, she knew he was going to say something like that.

"It was an _accident_. Besides, who knows what you did to me when I was unconscious," said Hermione accusingly, brushing her arms and stomach as she walked away.

"Oh, I did all sorts of things," Draco said nonchalantly with an evil smirk. Hermione glared at him in disgust.

"Yuck. I feel dirty," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"So do I," agreed Draco. Even though she knew that Draco was joking, Hermione couldn't help but be annoyed. Harry and Ron _never _said stuff like that, so why did Draco do it? Clearly it was a Slytherin thing, because all the Slytherin's were slimy gits that way.

"You're so immature, honestly," Hermione said, as she walked over and kicked dirt and leaves over the ashes of the fire, to make sure no-one knew they'd been there. She noticed Draco feeling in his pockets for something, with an odd expression on his face. Then he saw the sword next to the tree, and remembered that Hermione was the one who had gotten the wands. He looked towards her, and there was a long silence. She knew what he was thinking.

"My wand, Granger. Give me my wand," said Draco in a serious voice. Hermione bit her lip nervously.

"How can I trust you?" she asked, taking a step back.

"What am I going to do with it? Kill you? Just give me my wand!" he insisted, holding his hand out impatiently.

"What are you going to do with it?" Hermione asked with her hand in her pocket. Draco sighed, not knowing what to say.

"I won't do anything with it! It's mine and I just feel safer if I have it," he said firmly.

"To be honest, Malfoy, I feel safer if you don't have it," Hermione said worriedly. He rolled his eyes in frustration.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it while you were asleep! I'm not an idiot, Granger, now give me my wand!" he demanded, holding his hand out expectantly. Hermione took a deep breath, pulling out both wands. She held her own in her right hand, at the ready. And Draco's in her left hand.

"I'm trusting you, Malfoy. I'm trusting you, and please just promise that you won't try to hurt me with it," said Hermione, as she walked towards him. Draco felt rather guilty - it was his fault that she was acting so cautious.

"I promise," he said clearly with his hand still outstretched. The tension was unbelievable - chocolate brown eyes were staring into steel grey. She slowly put his wand in his hand and stepped back, her own wand at the ready. There was another silence - if either one of them made a sudden movement, the other would attack. They watched each other hesitantly.

"We have serious trust issues, Granger," said Draco slowly, breaking the silence, "I'm going to put my wand in my pocket, nice and slowly."

He did as he said he would, and when it was in his pocket, he raised his hands. Hermione relaxed, only just realizing that she was holding her breath. There was another pause as they both seemed to relax and the tension was gone.

"I just don't ever want to go back to that place again. I thought that you'd turn on me or something, and take me back there and be rewarded for it," Hermione said nervously. She silently cursed herself for saying that aloud - she didn't want to give him any ideas.

"The Dark Lord never forgives anyone, I can't go back there. That doesn't mean I want to be anywhere near _your_ people either," Draco muttered, sitting on the ground with a frustrated sigh. Hermione watched him sympathetically, wondering how he'd come to be so unlucky.

"So, you're stuck in the middle of the war and don't know what side to choose," she said, sitting down as well.

"You could say that," Draco said. It wasn't entirely correct - he knew what side he wanted to be on. He wanted to be on the side with his parents, on the side where he was safe. But due to the circumstances, that wonderful side didn't exist. It never had existed, because he had never been safe on Voldemort's side. In a way, it was his father's fault for joining Voldemort - because now they were separated, and his parents were in danger. The only _'side'_ left was with Hermione and the Order. That was the only place he could be safe. Maybe Dumbledore was right all along, he'd said he could hide Draco and his family and keep them safe with the Order. Maybe this was his chance to take that opportunity? After the war, somehow, he could get his parents back. But in the meantime-

"Well, in the cellar you said you'd come with me. You've already decided," said Hermione with a slight smile. She was right, that was the only option he had.

"How can I trust them though? They'll probably lock me up, and if the Dark Lord wins the war, he'll kill me. If the Order wins, I'll be sent to Azkaban. No matter what way you look at it Granger, I'm fucked," said Draco as he looked her in the eyes. While saying this, he was feeling rather uncomfortable and guilty, because he was remembering all of the times he'd insulted her and put her down. In Potions if Snape paired them up, Draco would never help out and make her do all the work. And yet here she was, straight up wanting to help him. Did he even deserve it?

"The Order aren't like that, Malfoy, trust me. Harry and Ron will probably want to lock you up, but I won't let them," Hermione promised firmly. She stood up and walked over to get the sword of Gryffindor. Then she returned and offered him her hand.

* * *

They disapparated from the forest, and Hermione thought about the hill beside The Burrow. Since the Order's headquarters was probably protected by enchantments, she couldn't apparate directly into it like Dobby could. They arrived on the giant hill and Hermione could see nothing in front of her, but she knew the giant slanting house was there. The protective enchantments simply made it invisible to outsiders. She grinned anyway, and began walking down the hill. It was midday, and the sun was blazing down on them from the cloudless sky. She finally felt safe - almost at home.

"There's nothing there, Granger," Draco called as he followed her.

"It's protected by enchantments to make it invisible. It's there," she assured, looking at him over her shoulder. The hill was big, and it took a while to reach the bottom. As they drew nearer where The Burrow was meant to be, the enchantments were lifted and the giant house loomed before them. Draco whistled, clearly impressed by how high it was. Hermione turned around and smiled at him as he took in the details. He smirked when he saw that it was tilted - clearly it was held up by magic, because the Weasley's couldn't afford to fix it. Before either of them could talk however, Harry, Ron and Lupin ran out of the house towards them.

"Hermione, are you okay? What did he do to you?" said Ron furiously, glaring at Draco.

"_Expelliarmus!_" shouted Lupin, disarming Draco before he could even put his hand in his pocket. The wand flew from its hiding place and into Lupin's hand. Draco felt quite defenceless at that moment - there was no turning back now, they had his wand. All he could do was rely on Hermione to explain things and stand up for him.

"I'm fine Ron, calm down," Hermione said, slightly unsettled at seeing them so urgent.

"What are you doing here!" demanded Lupin with his wand pointed at Draco, who raised his hands in surrender.

"Remus, stop! He's with me," said Hermione in alarm, walking forwards in between everyone.

"What on earth do you mean Hermione? He's a Death Eater - all he has to do is press his Dark Mark and this place will be revealed - keep your hand away from your arm or I'll stun you!" Lupin shouted, his wand unwavering. Hermione didn't think of that and she turned to Draco, wondering whether he was there to do harm. But he was standing in surrender, looking relatively calm. He made no move to press the Dark Mark - that is, if he even had one. Hermione had never seen it, and it made her rather curious.

"We escaped Malfoy Manor together, I know I have some explaining to do-" Hermione said quickly, but she was interrupted.

"What magical object did you use in your third year to save Buckbeak?" asked Lupin, his wand now pointing directly at Hermione.

"A Time-Turner - honestly Remus, this is ridiculous!" Hermione gasped, taking a step backwards.

"We have to be sure you're not in disguise, Hermione, I hope you understand. Please, come inside - Malfoy, I'd like a word and an explanation," Lupin said, his wand pointing at Draco once more.

"I'll give the explanation inside Remus, if you don't mind," Hermione said coldly. Lupin glanced at her and then nodded.

"Fine, everyone inside. Keep your hands where I can see them Malfoy," he ordered, his wand locked on Draco the entire time. Everyone walked in, Harry and Ron hugging Hermione tightly and demanding to know what on earth happened, how she was, how she escaped, where Dobby was, and what Draco was doing with her. Hagrid also gave her a rib-cracking hug, his eyes filling with tears of relief at seeing her alive. Hermione was overwhelmed with welcomes and happiness, but she ignored the questions and waited until she could explain. They all got to the meeting room, and Draco was ordered to stand against the wall with multiple wands pointed at him. Hermione gave him a sympathetic look as he glared at her.

'_This is your fault_,' his cold eyes were saying.

"Come on Hermione, we've been waiting for days, what happened?" Harry asked urgently, after everyone had welcomed her back and calmed down. Hermione launched into her story: starting with being captured and tortured by Bellatrix until she had to tell the truth. Gryffindor's sword being taken, her being locked in the cellar as a prisoner and meeting the other prisoners - she noticed that Luna and Mr Ollivander were in the room, waving to her. She continued, explaining Voldemort using Legilimency on her. Some Order members looked alarmed, realizing that the headquarters might not be safe - but their enchantments were still protecting the place either way. Harry and Ron looked shocked and had urgent questions in their eyes, no doubt about the horcruxes. But Hermione couldn't answer that in front of everyone. Then she continued, saying how Draco was ordered to kill her but he couldn't do it, and that he was put in the cellar as well.

"When Dobby arrived, I told him to take the other prisoners first. When he came back I said that we had to get our wands and the sword before leaving - Malfoy knew where they were, and he helped us get them back... but," Hermione stopped, not knowing how to say what was next.

"Where's Dobby now?" asked Harry with a frown.

"He's dead, Harry. Bellatrix tried to kill me, but Dobby jumped in front of the spell - I'm so sorry," she said, feeling awful as she looked at Harry's shocked expression. She knew how much he liked Dobby, and she knew that he wasn't going to take this lightly at all. Mr Weasley urged her to continue.

"Me and Malfoy disapparated just in time, but he was thinking of Diagon Alley and I was thinking of home, so we ended up in some random forest. Malfoy had been bitten by a snake that Bellatrix had summoned, so it took a few hours to recover and we couldn't apparate again-" Hermione explained, but Ron interrupted her.

"You mean _he_ couldn't apparate. You still could, right?" Ron said with a frown.

"I wasn't going to leave him there Ron, that's just cruel. So we stayed there the night, and here we are now," Hermione finished, leaving out the part where she had fallen asleep hugging him, underneath the same cloak.

"So instead of just leaving the wands and sword, you let Dobby die and come back with a Death Eater?" said Harry furiously. Even though he'd been worried for days, and he was glad she was alive and that she'd gotten Gryffindor's sword back - she came back with Draco Malfoy and Dobby was dead. The sudden realization was devastating, and he was both angry and relieved at the same time.

"I didn't _let_ Dobby die, Harry, how dare you say that!" Hermione said angrily, glaring at him.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's dead!" Harry shouted in reply.

"You should 'e glad she's alive," said Hagrid in surprise, frowning down at Harry.

"Well I'm sorry, I might as well just leave. You clearly aren't happy to see me," Hermione said, looking embarrassed, hurt and upset at the same time. The mood was very tense as Harry left the room. Hermione's initial _'happy'_ feelings were left rather shattered. She knew how much Harry liked Dobby, but to accuse her of letting him die was going too far.

"You realize now, how you risked the lives of everyone in the Order by leading the Death Eater here?" asked Mr Weasley, gazing at her in disappointment. Hermione nodded, rather shocked that she hadn't thought of this beforehand. Draco was still labelled a Death Eater, and he was still dangerous. And yet she'd helped him and actually led him to the Order's headquarters, without thinking about the consequences at all.

"I'm not a bloody Death Eater," spat Draco from the wall, having had enough of hearing that title.

"I find that hard to believe-" countered Lupin wearily.

"No, he's right. Like I said, he was thrown into the cellar as well and he helped me escape with our wands and the sword," said Hermione, glancing towards Draco who nodded slightly. There was silence as Mr Weasley and the other Order members looked at Draco, wondering what to do with him. They could send him away, but if he was telling the truth, he wouldn't have anywhere else to go. He would be an outcast, just like Harry.

"While you're here, this place is in danger because of your Dark Mark-" said Mr Weasley firmly.

"I haven't got anywhere else to go. If I go back to the Death Eaters he'll kill me," said Draco quietly, looking at the ground.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" demanded Lupin.

"You-Know-Who will put up _'Wanted'_ posters beside Harry's, Ron's and mine. That's proof enough that he isn't on their side anymore," said Hermione quickly.

"Fine, you can stay with us. But you won't get your wand back and you're not to leave the house. He's your responsibility Hermione, and if he betrays us, it'll be your fault," said Mr Weasley with a hint of authority in his voice. Most of the other Order members had left the room when it was decided, and everything settled down. Draco was taken up to the third floor and given a room, which he gladly stayed inside to get away from everyone else in the house. Downstairs in the meeting room, Hermione had just finished describing more detailed things about the Death Eaters and Malfoy Manor to Mr Weasley and Lupin. All the information would help them with the war. Once she'd finished talking about what happened at the Malfoy Manor, Ron came up and hugged her again.

"Ignore Harry, he didn't mean what he said. You have no idea how worried we've been - we've barely slept for days, waiting up for you. You know how Harry gets - Dobby was his house elf - and he hates Malfoy the most out of everyone," explained Ron quickly, absolutely relieved from seeing her again.

"Thanks Ron, but I'm not talking to Harry until he apologizes and makes it up to me," said Hermione firmly. She knew that Ron was right though - while they were on the run, Harry was under a lot of pressure as well. All of the arguments over the horcruxes, having to wear the Locket, having no food, Ron leaving - all of this would have put significant strain on him. Losing Dobby may have been the final straw. But before either of them could speak any further, Mrs Weasley came over.

"Come here dear, you need a hot shower and new clothes - you're a mess!" said Mrs Weasley fussily, to Hermione's relief.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Hermione was relieved and happy, at last back in a familiar place with familiar people. After she'd had a shower and gotten into new clothes, she went downstairs and Mrs Weasley gave her lunch. While she was eating the big meal, Mrs Weasley commented in concern about how thin Hermione had become. It made her rather self-concious as it reminded her of the past few months. While they were on the run, they had ran out of food and were living off things as lowly as wild mushrooms. That was one of the reasons Ron had left - because they didn't have enough food. It made her annoyance towards Harry and Ron increase slightly. They had always complained about food, while she was eating even less. And now after being starved at Malfoy Manor, even Mrs Weasley could tell that she had drastically lost weight. Eventually Mrs Weasley left the kitchen to do other things, and Harry and Ron slipped in quietly. Hermione glared at them slightly, making it clear that she wasn't going to talk until Harry apologized. Ron seemed to be nudging Harry and nodding towards her, as if to say, _'get it over with!'_. Harry took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for overreacting earlier Hermione, it wasn't your fault that Dobby died. And I'm glad you're back, you've no idea how worried I've been," he said sincerely. Ron nodded in agreement with Harry. There was silence, as Hermione eventually smiled. At Malfoy Manor she wondered whether she would ever see them again - and she was more than willing to forgive what he'd said. Hermione got up and hugged them both tightly, to Harry's surprise.

"I'm so happy to be back!" she said merrily before she sat down and continued eating. Taking that as an apology accepted, Harry and Ron quickly sat down at the table too. They checked to make sure no one was listening. Since Hermione had arrived, they hadn't had the opportunity to talk about what really happened to her at Malfoy Manor.

"What did Malfoy do to you? Should we go up to his room and hex him?" asked Harry instantly, a fierce gleam in his eyes.

"Don't, Harry. To be honest, he is less of a git than what he used to be - and he _did_ help me get my wand and the sword back," Hermione admitted honestly. The two boys still looked suspicious however. In their eyes, Hermione was incredibly thin, she had mentioned being tortured, and they hadn't seen her in days. Who knows how much she'd suffered at Malfoy Manor? They had talked to Mr Ollivander and gotten lots of information on what it was like in the cellar. Learning that Malfoy and Wormtail were the ones who fed the prisoners, it only made them more suspicious that Malfoy had starved Hermione on purpose.

"Should we lock him in his room and starve him? I bet he deserves it Hermione, look how skinny you are!" said Ron in exasperation. Hermione glared at him, once again feeling self-conscious about her appearance.

"I'm not skinny, Ron! It was Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters who prepared the scrappy food. Malfoy just had to give it to us. I don't want to talk about food anymore, it's making me uncomfortable," said Hermione irritably, putting her fork down and folding her arms. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, before asking the most secret question.

"So, You-Know-Who used Legilimency on you? Did he find out about the...?" asked Harry, trailing off. Hermione knew what he meant instantly, and nodded.

"He knows. He was furious, because he didn't believe anyone would find out," she said grimly.

"It's going to make it so much harder to find them, if he protects them from us," Harry groaned, running his hands through his messy black hair. Only then did Hermione realize the black bags under his eyes - he was clearly exhausted. Either from no sleep, wondering whether Hermione was okay, trying to figure out where the horcruxes are - there were many reasons. Ron looked tired also, but he was more concerned about Hermione's well-being than horcruxes.

"Are they scars on your cheek? Was that what Bellatrix did? When this is over I'm going to kill-" Ron was saying angrily when he saw the scars that Draco had healed. Hermione smiled slightly - even though she didn't approve of their desire for revenge and murder, she still appreciated the fact that they were worried. She was at last back in an familiar and comfortable place. Although, it wasn't safe at all. There was still a possibility that The Burrow was being watched, and Death Eaters could arrive at any time.

"I don't want to talk about the torture either. It's over, Ron - lets focus on horcruxes and what we're going to do next," said Hermione firmly.

"Well, we've got the sword. We can use that to destroy them," Ron shrugged.

"I think we should worry about _finding_ them first," said Hermione gloomily. There was silence as they all thought the same thing - where on earth were the horcruxes? So far, they knew that Hufflepuff's cup and Ravenclaw's diadem remained, and other unknown objects. Where they were was a complete mystery. They were back to where they started - sitting around thinking, but getting nowhere.

"We'll just have to find them and destroy them one at a time. Start with the cup or diadem," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Bellatrix said Gryffindor's sword was in her Gringott's vault... perhaps a horcrux is there?" suggested Ron, but Hermione shook her head.

"You-Know-Who knows, though. Griphook said the sword was a fake, but I have a feeling that You-Know-Who knows it's the real one. After all, he senses when people are lying to him. The vault can't be safe if the sword was stolen, so he won't leave a horcrux there," Hermione said, leaving them feeling hopeless again. No-one spoke, so Hermione went back to her lunch while the other two continued thinking.

"If he knows we're destroying them, maybe he's going to keep the last horcruxes on him at all times? We should just get the Elder Wand, find him, kill him, then destroy his horcruxes after," Ron suggested, getting a grin from Harry.

"Don't start this again. We should be looking for the horcruxes, not the Elder Wand," said Hermione, pointing her fork at Ron with a frown.

"But we don't even know where the horcruxes are, Hermione! If we found out where the wand was, don't you think we should get it?" said Harry exasperatedly.

"Even if you found it Harry, you wouldn't be able to use it. Remember, you have to defeat the last owner to actually possess its power - that is, if it's even real," Hermione snorted, still not believing that the wand existed. Harry and Ron looked at each other with another grin. Hermione had a feeling that they knew something she didn't.

"We've already spoken to Mr Ollivander," said Ron smugly. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Really? What did he say?" Hermione demanded.

"He was certain that the Elder Wand exists, and he told us that You-Know-Who was asking about it, he was looking for it. Ollivander told us heaps about its history, everything makes sense. A wizard called Gregorovich said it was stolen from him, and it was Grindelwald who stole it. We're certain now, that Grindelwald used the wand to get so powerful - and Dumbledore duelled him, remember? And Dumbledore defeated him, that means Dumbledore was the last to have the wand," Harry finished in excitement, looking to her for answers. Hermione was bewildered by the sudden information.

"Dumbledore is dead, Harry... so who has the power of the Elder Wand now? Where is it?" she asked anxiously, despite her disapproval. Maybe they were right - why search for horcruxes if they haven't got a clue where any are? The Elder Wand seemed like a much easier thing to find, especially if Dumbledore had it last. Although, she still had a nagging feeling that maybe they ought to stick with Dumbledore's mission. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick... perhaps they should avoid it. As rumours said, the wand leaves blood splattered across the pages of history. All previous owners were met with misfortune. Having the wand would make them powerful, but wouldn't it also be a curse?

"Snape killed Dumbledore, but the wand is with Dumbledore's grave. You-Know-Who was looking for it, but he's changed plans - I had another vision, he was torturing Bellatrix and demanding to know where Hufflepuff's cup was. He is concentrating on his horcruxes now, because remember: he is only immortal as long as his horcruxes survive. Ron might even be right - You-Know-Who might actually have the last horcruxes with him," said Harry, in a bit of relief. Clearly he was thankful that Voldemort hadn't gotten the wand, because if he had, they would probably never be able to kill him.

"But we're back to where we started Harry, if Snape defeated Dumbledore, it won't matter if you have the wand. You won't have its power, it will just be like any other wand," said Hermione with a frustrated sigh.

"Looking for wands, are we," sniggered Draco from the entrance to the kitchen. All three of them jumped in surprise and turned to look at him.

"You greasy little ferret, how long were you listening?" demanded Ron in a hushed tone. Draco walked into the kitchen, putting on his superior act. He moved around the kitchen as though he owned everything, to Ron's annoyance.

"A little bit about an Elder Wand, Snape defeating Dumbledore... though, it wasn't much of a defeat. All Snape did was walk in and finish the old fool off," said Draco snidely as he poured himself a glass of water. Harry swore under his breath, Ron glared at Draco furiously, and Hermione frowned slightly.

"We've got to kill him. He knows about the mission," Ron hissed quietly, searching for his wand. Draco raised an eyebrow and took a step towards the kitchen knives.

"Watch it, Weasel," he said coldly.

"Don't be ridiculous Ron, we're not killing anyone! I think I have an idea," said Hermione, pushing her chair back and looking at Draco. He was gripping a razer sharp butcher knife at the ready, glaring across the kitchen towards Ron.

"Oh put the knife down. And Ron don't even think about getting your wand out - come with me, we need somewhere more quiet," ordered Hermione bossily. Draco was about to sneer something like _'you can't tell me what to do!'_. But Harry and Ron were already following her out of the kitchen, and his curiosity got the better of him. Talk of a powerful wand was definitely intriguing.

* * *

They all left the house and walked over to the garden fence outside, easily out of hearing-range from the rest of the Order. Harry pulled Hermione away from Draco, whispering in her ear.

"We can't trust him, Hermione. Ron's right, we have to shut him up somehow-" he was whispering.

"Harry, I know this sounds crazy, but he is _not_ on You-Know-Who's side-" Hermione argued quietly.

"That's beside the point! Say we trust him and tell him everything, how on earth will he help us? He doesn't give a damn about us, he only came here to hide like the little coward he is-" Harry hissed furiously.

"Actually Potter, for the past two years I've been forced to do things you couldn't even imagine," Draco growled, after overhearing the coward part and losing his patience. Harry turned and glared at his old school nemesis, preparing to say what he'd been wanting to say since their sixth year.

"What, like letting Death Eaters into a school of innocent kids, and _crying_ in front of Dumbledore because you couldn't kill him-" he snarled aggressively.

"Shut up Potter, I'll kill you with or without my fucking wand," Draco spat, taking a step towards him furiously. Ron grabbed Draco's arm, pulling him back and all of a sudden punches were being thrown. Harry joined in, and Hermione attempted to get in the middle and stop them but it was useless. The fight went on for a few seconds before she could draw her wand to stop it.

"_Relashio_!" she screamed, her wand pointed at Draco. The power of the spell launched Harry and Ron off of him, and they fell roughly to the ground.

"I'm going to stun the next person who throws a punch!" Hermione shouted, her wand still pointing at Draco. He had a split open lip and torn shirt, and he looked murderous.

"He got what he deserved," Harry panted angrily.

"No he didn't Harry, you provoked him," said Hermione, grabbing Draco's shirt and pulling him away from them. Once she'd walked far enough, she stopped and turned to look at him.

"Tell me what he meant," said Hermione, looking him in the eye.

"I'm not telling you anything," Draco said coldly, touching his bleeding lip in pain.

"It's either you tell me, or Harry tells me. And do you want your lip healed or not?" said Hermione, waving her wand in front of him. Draco glared at her.

"Fine. Last year the Dark Lord told me to kill Dumbledore, and he said if I didn't do it, he'd kill me and my parents. I had no choice, on the Astronomy tower I had Dumbledore cornered, defeated, all I had to do was say the spell but I couldn't do it. He said he could help me. Then Snape came in and finished him," he said all of this quickly with his arms crossed. He hadn't told many people this before, because who was there to tell? His parents already knew, but they couldn't do anything. He hadn't told any other Slytherin what he was doing in his sixth year - in fact, he hadn't told anyone at all. The Death Eaters and Harry were the only ones who knew what had happened on the tower that night, as they were the only witnesses.

"And you were crying...?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Why does that matter? Bloody hell Granger!" Draco exploded angrily, making her flinch.

"I wanted to know because Harry said that to provoke you, Malfoy!" said Hermione quickly.

"Well it worked, didn't it," he replied, clearly embarrassed at them knowing how he'd broken down in tears in front of Dumbledore. He saw Harry and Ron laughing about it, and turned to walk away. If he had a wand in his hand, he would have stunned Hermione and cut open Harry and Ron multiple times with _Sectumsempra_. They had absolutely no idea what he went through last year, how on earth was he a coward? It was a _'do or die'_ situation. Just like Harry had been trained to obey Dumbledore's every order, Draco was trained to obey Voldemort's every order - by fear of severe punishment or death. Seeing the two self-righteous assholes laughing at his weakness was the most humiliating thing in the world. Somehow, it was even more embarrassing with Hermione there. He couldn't figure out why, but he didn't want to be seen as weak in front of her.

"Malfoy stop! Listen to me, just ignore them," Hermione insisted, holding his arm.

"Six years of hatred can't be ignored, Granger. Just seeing their faces pisses me off, and Potter's right - I don't want to help you on some suicidal mission, because the Dark Lord can't be killed," said Draco firmly, making it very clear. He'd spent enough time around the immortal, all-powerful and wickedly evil wizard to know that he couldn't be killed. Without Dumbledore, there was no-one else to match him.

"He can be killed, Malfoy. Dumbledore figured out how, and it might seem suicidal but it isn't. You can help us stop him, and end all of this - you can have your parents back, your life back," said Hermione breathlessly, praying that he would at least consider it. She had a theory that Draco might be the current owner of the Elder Wand. And if he was, it would be vitally important for him to help them.

"I'm listening," Draco said shortly.

"Horcruxes are incredibly dark magic, and it's possible to kill someone with the killing curse, and tear your soul - putting the other part into an object. So even if your body is destroyed, you still exist through your horcrux - that's how You-Know-Who came back after he died trying to kill Harry," said Hermione, realizing that she was revealing a very dark secret. But Voldemort already knew they were after his horcruxes, so there was no harm in telling Draco. She had his attention, so she continued.

"You-Know-Who ripped his soul apart so many times, that he made seven horcruxes - seven being the most magical number. Three have been destroyed so far, and we're destroying the rest to stop You-Know-Who. And the Elder Wand, you've probably already heard of it in History, is the most powerful wand in existence," explained Hermione, waiting to see what he thought. He looked overwhelmed with the sudden knowledge, and was no doubt beginning to respect Dumbledore a lot more. Although, Draco still didn't know how any of this concerned him.

"And where would I come in? You three are _'the golden trio'_ and all that crap, you seem to have it under control," said Draco, giving Harry and Ron a glare of complete loathing.

"Tell me what happened with Dumbledore. He had the Elder Wand, Malfoy. Whoever defeated him has the power of the wand, it's either you or Snape, don't you see how important this is?" said Hermione excitedly. Draco realized that it was indeed a big deal, and he also had an inkling of where he would be able to help.

"He was poisoned by something, all weak and leaning against the wall... I arrived first and disarmed him. He looked half dead, and we talked about my - options. Snape arrived after that, and Dumbledore said, _'Severus, please'_. Then Snape killed him," Draco recounted slowly.

"Dumbledore was poisoned, by a potion and a cursed ring. You were the one who disarmed him, Malfoy, you were the one who took the wand. Technically you defeated him, and Snape killed him. The power of the wand would have to be yours," Hermione whispered in excitement. Draco took a deep breath.

"An unbeatable wand is great and all, but if you think I'm the one to kill the Dark Lord, forget it," he muttered, shaking his head. Hermione glared at him slightly.

"So you're just going to hide in your room?" she asked in disgust. Once again, he didn't want to look so weak in front of her. But what did she expect him to do? Be the knight in shining armour, grab some fabled wand and defeat the world's most powerful wizard of all time? No, that was Potter's courageous quest. Not his.

"Give Potter the bloody wand, he's the '_Chosen One_', and to be honest I don't give a damn if he dies!" said Draco angrily.

"Only you can use the Elder Wand, people kill each other for such power! How can you ignore all of this? After all You-Know-Who has done to you, you're just going to walk away while he takes over the world?" Hermione said furiously.

"I'm not a hero!" Draco shouted.

"I'm not asking you to be one! But at least _help_ us, for the sake of your mum and dad!" said Hermione exasperatedly. That final sentence seemed to hit home, and the mention of his parents still at the mercy of Voldemort seemed to change his mind. Ultimately, his parents were the only people he had left. He was a traitor to the Death Eaters, and since Crabbe and Goyle's fathers were both Death Eaters, he practically lost his two best friends. Any wealth the Malfoy's owned was gone due to the war. He was labelled a criminal and Death Eater to the rest of the wizarding world. Yes, if there was anything worth living for, it would be getting his life back, and his parents back. There was a very long silence as he stood, thinking. And this was also his chance to prove he wasn't a _'cowardly little ferret'_, as the two Gryffindor's watching thought. This decision was going to change things, for better or for worse. It felt almost like a leap of faith. He looked at Hermione and sighed heavily.

"Fine. Fine, but if Potter and Weasel get in my face, I swear to god-" Draco growled.

"They won't, I'll make sure of that," Hermione promised.

"And I want my wand back," Draco demanded.

"Done. And after that, you will be willing to go to Hogwarts with us to find and destroy the horcruxes and take the Elder Wand? And if necessary, use it to help us stop You-Know-Who by any means necessary?" she asked, making everything clear. Draco slowly nodded, a mix of determination and fear lingering in his grey eyes.

"Promise?" Hermione continued.

"I promise," Draco said impatiently.

"Hand-shake on it," said Hermione, offering her hand.

"What on earth will that do?" Draco blurted out.

"It's a muggle way of confirming an agreement," said Hermione with a smile. She was clearly amused at making him to something that muggles did, and he could tell that it was on purpose.

"I'm not a dirty little muggle-" he complained.

"Malfoy, shake!" Hermione insisted. He sighed and grabbed her hand, squeezing it until she gasped in pain and then shaking it roughly.

"Happy?" Draco sneered. Hermione pulled with all her strength until he finally let go of her hand.

"Yes, you're becoming more a muggle every day," she said with a wink.

"You're right, your muggle influences are affecting my purity," Draco said sarcastically. Hermione smiled slightly, in a much better mood since he had agreed to help them. Although she knew that the chance of Draco duelling Voldemort was almost nothing, at least Voldemort wouldn't be getting the wand. And with some work, she might be able to somehow make Draco more... brave? With enough persuasion, he might be willing to fight with them. Either way, having a fourth companion would have its advantages. She pointed her wand at his lip, as promised.

"_Episkey_," she murmured, healing the cut, "I'm going to tell Harry and Ron, and decide when we'll all leave. Want to come?"

"Nope, I think I'll keep to myself," said Draco, looking at the other two Gryffindor's with heavy dislike again. Hermione nodded in understanding, and he started to head back to the house. Draco definitely wasn't a git like he used to be when they were little. She had a sudden urge to say something - anything - to show that she didn't exactly _'hate'_ him like Harry and Ron did. The way Harry and Ron were acting was understandable, but there came a point where you had to move on and forget the past.

"Hey um - without Crabbe and Goyle and your Slytherin gang... you're not that bad, Malfoy," Hermione said nervously, wondering what his reaction would be. He turned around in surprise, hesitating for a second or two.

"Without the Chosen One and his faithful sidekick, you're not that bad either," replied Draco honestly, though he looked rather embarrassed to admit it.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Why Hermione? I can't believe this," Ron groaned for what felt like the millionth time.

"Because he is the only one who can use the Elder Wand Ron, how many times do I have to tell you! He is the only one who can use the wand to stop You-Know-Who. And having a fourth person to help find the horcruxes will help," said Hermione bossily, as they were packing an enchanted bag with everything they needed. Harry and Ron were extremely disappointed, to say the least. No matter how much Hermione attempted to explain the advantages of having Malfoy help them, Harry and Ron just didn't listen.

"We don't need the Elder Wand, we can just-"

"Just what? How on earth is anyone going to stop You-Know-Who in an actual duel? Remember, the last part of his soul is inside him, Harry. Dumbledore is the only known wizard who was able to beat him in a duel, so unless another Dumbledore comes along and kills him, we need the Elder Wand. And besides, you were the one who wanted it the most only an hour ago," Hermione ranted in frustration.

"We're not going to get anywhere with Malfoy in the same bloody tent! You saw what happens when we're anywhere near each other. A fight always starts," Harry shouted, using any excuse he could think of.

"Yeah, I wonder how that last fight started? Honestly Harry, all you have to do is ignore him. Once this is all over, we'll never see him again," said Hermione, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. That was the truth as well, unless they were allowed to do their seventh year at Hogwarts after the war. All four of them hadn't attended to graduate - surely they would be allowed to? That is, if Draco is alive or free by the time the war is over. He could be killed or sent to Azkaban before Hogwarts is re-opened. She felt bad for saying and thinking these things - personally, Draco didn't seem like the criminal type of person to her. He was simply misunderstood, made bad decisions, in the wrong place at the wrong time. While she was thinking all of this, Harry continued with his arguments.

"And what if it takes months, even years for this to be over?" Harry demanded in a serious voice. All three of them stopped in silence, Hermione hadn't thought of that possibility.

"We'll do whatever it takes to get through this, Harry. If that means working with an old school-yard bully, so be it. _Whatever it takes_," said Hermione firmly. Harry shook his head and stormed out of the room, slamming the door as he did so. Ron looked at Hermione with a raised eyebrow.

"I understand where you're coming from, Hermione. But we _can_ do this on our own, Dumbledore left the mission for us three, no-one else. Remember?" asked Ron curiously.

"Yes I remember, Ron. But times change, circumstances change. Dumbledore never would have expected You-Know-Who to find out about us destroying his horcruxes. Dumbledore never would have expected Malfoy to escape from the Death Eaters with me either," said Hermione as she re-checked the list of things to pack.

"I suppose," Ron agreed.

"Is there a fourth bed in the tent?" asked Hermione, looking up.

"Who cares, make him sleep on the floor," said Ron in amusement.

"Are you here to help me or are you just going to keep-" Hermione began to say angrily.

"Yes there's a spare mattress in the tent!" said Ron quickly.

"There better be. If there isn't, you'll be the one on the floor," said Hermione seriously. There was silence as she scribbled off _'extra bed'_ on the list, and Ron stood there, thinking to himself.

"I think I was right in our fourth year," said Ron thoughtfully as he watched her. Hermione looked up at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you went to the Yule Ball with Krum... now you want Malfoy to come with-" Ron said hesitantly.

"So what, you think I _like_ him? Am I '_fraternising with the enemy_' again, Ron?" Hermione asked coldly, glaring at him.

"Well yeah, in a way you are," he replied in annoyance.

"I'm doing this to help stop You-Know-Who! But fine, since you're not going to help me pack, I'm going to go '_fraternise_' some more," said Hermione, grabbing the bag and list of things angrily.

* * *

Draco was lying on his bed in his room on the third floor, having absolutely nothing to do. He had been staying in his room all day, every day - apart from meal times. And even for meals, he would still take the food back to his room and eat it. He'd grown up being these people's enemy, and he felt far too uncomfortable living with them every day. Sitting in his room without a wand, without any of his belongings and without even a book however, was incredibly boring. But inevitably, this life was better than being at Malfoy Manor. The cooking was better, because Mrs Weasley was an amazing cook. He wasn't scared of anyone here, he wasn't constantly fearing death and he only hated Harry and Ron. But there were plenty of downfalls. He didn't know whether his parents were dead or alive, the Death Eaters could attack The Burrow at any moment. He heard a knock on the door and looked at it in surprise. Even though he knew it was going to be Hermione - she was the only one who talked to him much - he was still glad to have something to do.

"Can I come in?" asked a familiar voice. Hermione waited in the corridor, a bit nervous. She hadn't yet actually _wanted _to talk to him, at Malfoy Manor they just had to talk. And here she was, willingly socialising with a Slytherin. At Hogworts it would have been impossible.

"Um, yeah," Draco replied, sitting up. The door opened and in came Hermione with a small bag and piece of paper.

"I'm packing everything so we can leave sometime tomorrow... do you mind helping?" she asked, raising the small bag. Draco looked at it curiously.

"You plan on fitting everything in that?" he asked in amusement.

"I've enchanted it to fit everything inside - books, the tent, food, clothes," Hermione said proudly.

"Of course, books always come first," nodded Draco sarcastically.

"Yes they do," Hermione agreed.

"And clothes last," winked Draco, making her roll her eyes.

"You're more immature than Harry and Ron," Hermione sighed as she closed the door and hopped onto the end of the bed.

"The Gryffindor heroes got your muddy blood boiling?" asked Draco with a smirk. Hermione had to admit - his sense of humour certainly didn't change. It always involved heavy sarcasm, blood-status related insults or sex. But at least he _did_ find things amusing. Everything else in the house was tense and busy from the war. None of the Order members stopped to chat, and half the time they were risking their lives. Harry and Ron were just being a pain, or as Malfoy politely said, _'getting her muddy blood boiling'_. There wasn't much cheerfulness or optimism in the rest of the house at all.

"Yes, they have. Please stop with the insults," said Hermione tiredly. There was silence as she looked at him gloomily. Draco noticed many things in more detail about her. There were dark rings under her eyes, her hair was messier than usual and she was incredibly thin. He felt pretty bad - no doubt most of this was caused by being locked in the cellar. But she'd also mentioned being chased by Death Eaters, so that must have been a reason too. Everyone in the Order looked tired and stressed, but there was no fear. That was something he'd come to admire about them. The one thing that hadn't changed was Hermione's eyes, however - they were a deep brown colour, looking warm and dazzlingly pretty. Draco realized that he'd been staring into her eyes for longer than usual, so he blinked and looked away without saying anything.

"Do you remember the Yule Ball and who I went with?" asked Hermione to break the silence.

"Yeah, that Krum guy," said Draco with distaste.

"Is that jealousy? From Draco Malfoy?" Hermione said in surprise.

"No it - well, every guy was," he said with a shrug, and then quickly added, "because he - was famous and everything."

"Well, Ron said back then that I was '_fraternising with the enemy_'. And downstairs he mentioned it again because I wanted - well, we needed you to come with us," said Hermione with a frustrated sigh. Draco remembered that night quite clearly, mainly because of what Hermione had looked like. Even though none of the Slytherin's mentioned anything, it was obvious that she was one of the hottest girls at the Yule Ball.

"_Fraternising_? That's a big word for him, I'm surprised," Draco snickered. Hermione couldn't help but smile, in a way he was right. Ron and Harry never were the brightest when it came to intelligence and big words - and either, she realized, were Crabbe or Goyle. It was once again surprising how similar the two of them were, yet at the same time being complete opposites.

"Am I fraternising? Are _you_ fraternising?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.

"Well, it means being friendly towards an enemy. I'm not being friendly though, I'm just trying my hardest not to be mean," said Draco with a shrug. Hermione glared at him, but she saw him smirk and realized that he was just being sarcastic again.

"What if we weren't enemies?" she suggested, "would it still be fraternising?"

"No it wouldn't. But we are enemies," Draco said firmly. Hermione glanced at him nervously.

"You're _their_ enemies..." she said, pointing towards the door, "but, I don't think we have to be."

"That's just the way it is. You're on _that_ side, I'm on the _other_ side, and there's a big line in between us," said Draco, pointing towards the door, then to himself, then drawing a line with his finger in between him and her. Hermione laughed a bit, but shook her head in disagreement.

"But you're wrong. You're not on the _other_ side anymore," said Hermione, watching him curiously before continuing. "You said I wasn't that bad earlier. What did you mean, if you still think we're enemies?"

Another difficult question. She'd been doing that a lot lately - asking questions that he specifically didn't want to answer. His hesitation showed slightly as he struggled to answer.

"I ... guess it's because I know you a bit more. You're not just '_Granger, the little mudblood bookworm_'" said Draco, sniggering at the title. Hermione cringed.

"That's what Slytherin's call me?" she asked sadly. Draco nodded, feeling kind of bad after seeing her reaction - because he was one of the Slytherin's who always called her that too.

"Well, if I'm not that anymore... what am I?" asked Hermione, sitting up straighter with a smile. Another question that he felt awkward answering. He hesitated again, taking a deep breath as he thought.

"You're... '_Granger, the muggle-born girl_'" he said with a smirk.

"That's it? Just the muggle-born girl?" Hermione asked in exasperation.

"Who likes books, and fraternising," Draco added, nodding thoughtfully.

"I suppose it's an improvement," said Hermione with a dramatic sigh.

"Right, I'm not answering any more questions," said Draco firmly.

"Okay then. Let's start packing stuff," Hermione agreed. But the conversation was interesting between them - and they were both still thinking about it, even though they were talking about what to pack. What was the difference between a mudblood and a muggle-born? They're the same thing, only the words have different meanings. The word mudblood was intended to be offensive, suggesting that the person's blood was dirty, that they were inferior and lower class compared to purebloods. Muggle-born simply means: they were born by non-magical parents. Draco had grown up learning that muggle-borns were mudbloods. Perhaps the improvement was that Draco no longer saw her as inferior or lower class. He began to realize that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her - on the contrary, he was reluctantly beginning to like her more as a friend.

It was similar for Hermione. She learned the hard way that purebloods like Draco were complete jerks. She learned the hard way that _he_ was a complete jerk. But despite who they were, they had given each other a chance. Even though neither of them mentioned it, there was an unspoken acknowledgement that they were ignoring and overcoming the old prejudices.

* * *

Once the packing was done and they had everything that they needed, they told the Order that they would be leaving the next day. It was quite similar to last time, since Mrs Weasley was once again asking them where they would be going, and why they were going. But again, their mission had to be kept secret. Mrs Weasley let the matter drop though, since it was unsafe for Harry to be at The Burrow - he would have to leave sooner or later anyway. And the Order was glad that Draco was leaving with them - having a Death Eater in their headquarters put them all on edge. Lupin gave them some important information, one example was not to go to Hogsmeade at night. At night there is a Caterwauling charm which alerts the Death Eaters of intruders. With that, the decision was made. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco - the _'four companions'_ - would leave The Burrow and arrive in Hogsmeade the next day. The plan was to get into Hogwarts using the underground passage from Honeydukes, because they knew that the Elder Wand was in Dumbledore's grave, since he had it last.

"Come on, I'm going to tell Malfoy and you two are coming with me," said Hermione firmly when they headed upstairs to talk in private.

"Why Hermione?" Ron complained.

"Because you're going to have to get along if we are going to get this right," Hermione said bossily, dragging them up the steps until they reluctantly followed her. She knocked on Draco's door and they all walked in. Luckily there were spare seats in the room, so Harry and Ron sat at the desk and Hermione sat on the bed again. Draco did his best to pretend that the other two Gryffindor's weren't there, and only looked at Hermione.

"Okay. I've been thinking, and this is my plan. Harry and Ron will be under the Invisibility cloak-" said Hermione.

"Hermione!" Ron hissed, nodding towards Draco.

"I already know about the cloak - I think Potter can remember the train ride last year," said Draco with a smirk appearing on his face. Harry remembered very clearly - he'd snuck into Draco's compartment, then Draco stunned him and broke his nose. He'd known about the cloak many times before then too. Hermione and Ron also remembered. Harry and Draco were glaring at each other and the mood in the room was like a cauldron of hate steadily beginning to bubble.

"Malfoy, Harry, both of you don't talk. Just keep your mouths shut," Hermione ordered sharply.

"If three people go under the cloak, our legs will show at the bottom because you two are too tall now. So just Harry and Ron will use the cloak. Me and Malfoy will use this," she continued quickly, changing the subject. She pulled a large, thin blanket out of the small bag.

"What the hell are we-" Draco began in confusion.

"I'll cast my best Disillusionment charm on it. It will be close enough to the Invisibility cloak," said Hermione in a smug tone. Depending on the power of the charm, sometimes it only helps people blend into something. But Hermione was confident her charm would be strong enough to make the blanket invisible - or close to it - which was something that only someone like Dumbledore could do.

"So they get a cloak of Invisibility, and we're hiding under a blanket?" said Draco in clear disappointment. Ron coughed slightly to cover up his laugh, and Harry hid his grin behind his hand. Hermione glared at them.

"When I'm done with it, it will be a cloak of Invisibility too," said Hermione, waving her hand as though it didn't matter.

"More like a blanket of Invisibility," Ron muttered. Harry burst out laughing and Draco was working hard to hide his smile.

"Well, at least it'll be warmer than your cloak!" said Hermione, stuffing the blanket back into the bag.

"Okay, so what's the plan? Where are we going?" asked Draco, changing the subject.

"We're going to disapparate into Hogsmeade, as close to Honeydukes as possible-" Hermione began to say.

"Not at night, we've put - I mean, they've put a Caterwauling Char-" said Draco quickly, but the other three nodded in understanding.

"We know, Lupin told us. We'll have to apparate in the middle of the day tomorrow. Then we'll sneak into Honeydukes, invisibly, and use the secret passage in the basement to get into Hogwarts," Hermione continued, getting groans from Harry and Ron. To them, all of these little secrets were incredibly important. Even though the chances of them going back for their seventh year was slim, and even though they probably wouldn't use the passage again, they didn't want Draco finding out.

"Secret passage?" asked Draco, raising an eyebrow.

"He was going to find out anyway, honestly. There's a secret passageway that leads from the Honeydukes basement to Hogwarts, Malfoy. That's how we'll get into Hogwarts, and from there we'll get the Elder Wand," Hermione explained. It seemed like quite a foolproof plan, but it was risky and a thousand things could go wrong.

"And after we have the wand? What then?" asked Draco, his nervousness showing slightly. He was willing to help them, but he wasn't willing to risk his life with them. Getting the wand and destroying the horcruxes was one thing, but fighting against Death Eaters who were originally his allies was something else entirely.

"We can search for horcruxes in Hogwarts, and perhaps ask the ghosts and teachers if we can avoid being seen. And then we'll escape the same way we came," Harry suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

* * *

Their luck and their plan was shaken slightly that night, however. Just after midnight, almost everyone was asleep at The Burrow. The only person awake was a drowsy Remus Lupin who was keeping watch outside, as there was always someone on watch at all hours. Hermione was on the first floor, and she was woken suddenly by shouts and the sound of explosions going on both outside and inside the house. The Order's own Caterwauling Charm had been set off, and a loud magical alarm was sounding throughout the entire house. As Hermione drowsily got out of bed, she could hear doors banging open and footsteps coming from upstairs. She hurriedly found her wand, panicking slightly as she heard the sound of spells being fired. Obviously the Burrow was being attacked - she knew it wasn't safe for them to be there. It was a shame that the Death Eaters planned to come the night before they were going to leave. Hermione grabbed her wand and the small bag which had everything already in it. She didn't bother getting changed out of her pyjamas, and instead she hurried for the door. The most important thing was to escape. She opened her door and ran out into a frighteningly chaotic scene. The lights were still out so it was pitch black, but blazing lights of white, red and green were flying in all directions, smashing walls and being deflected back and forth.

"Hermione! Hurry upstairs, get the others and go!" shouted a voice from the dark. It sounded like Mr Weasley, but she didn't need to know who it was - she was already running blindly towards the stairs. After being in the house so many times it wasn't hard to find, and the constant spells flying around acted like lightning - constantly lighting the room up again and again. She could also hear _crack _after _crack _from outside, as more Order members and Death Eaters arrived. On her way up the stairs she ran straight into someone else, who turned out to be Harry going downwards.

"Harry? Up! Go _up_!" hissed Hermione, grabbing his arm and continuing up.

"But we've got to fight-"

"No Harry, where's Ron-"

"Here, I'm going to fight too-"

"_NO_! You're going to get us all killed! We have to escape and continue with the plan!" shouted Hermione, pushing past them and running upwards. The other two had no choice - they weren't leaving Hermione on her own, so they followed her up. They reached the second floor and heard footsteps at the bottom of the staircase, just starting to come after them.

"Where are we going?"

"To get Malfoy-"

"There's no time Hermione! The Death Eater is catching us!" Harry urged from behind her, as the footsteps chasing them came closer and closer on the staircase. Hermione ignored him and kept running, as they'd just reached the third floor. Besides, it might not even be a Death Eater, it could just be an Order-

"_Confringo!_" screamed a voice from the second floor, the spell flying upwards and hitting the wall behind them. The wall exploded into rubble and flames, and they heard cackling laughter from whoever had cast the spell. The same name went through all their minds - Bellatrix. Hermione was filled with a sudden urgency to go faster. As she sprinted down the dark corridor of the third floor, she ran directly into Draco who was also sprinting in their direction. They collided with such force that they were actually knocked straight off their feet. Draco got up, staggering into the wall - the corridor seemed to be spinning and he was seeing stars. It was lucky he hadn't been knocked out, but Hermione wasn't so lucky - she remained motionless on the ground.

"Hermione! I'm going to kill you Malfoy-" growled Ron.

"Now isn't the time Ron, we've got to go!" shouted Harry, turning to face the other end of the corridor. Draco picked Hermione up without saying a word, and the three of them clasped hands to apparate.

"Not Hogsmeade - the Caterwauling Charm," Draco reminded them both. He was carrying Hermione and he didn't have a wand, so he couldn't do the apparating. One of the other two had to do it, and quickly.

"Well where?" asked Ron stupidly.

"I don't know! Whatever pops into your head! _HURRY_!" shouted Harry urgently as the sound of footsteps came closer and closer from the staircase. Suddenly they felt as though they were being pulled through a rubber tube, and the footsteps faded as they disapparated from the house.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The first thing they noticed was _snow_. Whoever had chosen the apparition location, they'd chosen somewhere which was snowing quite heavily. The instantaneous freeze that seemed to seep into their skin was shocking. They were deep in a wild forest and almost everything was covered in a thick blanket of white snow. Draco felt himself start to shiver after only a few seconds, and he looked down worriedly at the girl in his arms. She seemed so small and weighed almost nothing. The freezing weather was going to affect her the worst if they didn't hurry.

"Why is it _snowing_? Where on earth did you two take us?" demanded Draco in frustration, turning on Harry and Ron. All their breaths were coming out as mist in the snowy, chilling air.

"Albania. What? Harry said the first thing that popped into-" Ron replied with a shrug.

"How the fuck did _Albania _pop into your-" Draco began angrily.

"You knocked Hermione out-" countered Ron.

"Both of you shut up! We've got to set the tent up quickly, it's in the bag," ordered Harry, pointing to the bag around Hermione's neck. The other two noticed that Harry was missing both eyebrows - he'd been splinched. It made sense that something had to go wrong, Ron never was the best at apparating, and there was four people involved. Ron took the bag and used _Accio_ to get the tent out, which fell on the snow in a pile of canvas, ropes and poles. It certainly wasn't going to be easy to set up in the snow. Draco carried Hermione over to a group of large trees, leaning back against one. Harry and Ron lifted the tent and carried it closer to the trees, and then began setting it up as fast as they could by hand. It was painfully slow, and all four of them were still in pyjamas or half-dressed - so the cold was unbearable. Being on the third floor at the Burrow, Draco hadn't realized what was really happening. He had time to get his shoes and cloak on before he heard shouting and sprinted from his room. Unlike Hermione who hadn't changed at all - she was still in a singlet, long pants and bare feet. Draco suddenly felt something warm on his arm near Hermione's leg. Looking down, he saw the deep scarlet red colour of blood, seeping from her thigh. Hermione had also gotten splinched - but much, much worse.

"Oh _shit_ - Granger got splinched too - hurry up!" urged Draco, feeling himself begin to panic. Harry and Ron knew that the only way to help Hermione was by getting the tent up faster. They kept working silently and as fast as possible, ignoring the painfully cold weather.

* * *

It took them at least fifteen minutes to finally get it done, due to the snow and freezing cold. By the time they were finished, the three of them were shivering uncontrollably and Hermione was frighteningly pale. Draco noticed that the snow at his feet was covered in bright red. He remembered when they were in the forest and it was cold from the rain and night - but that was nothing compared to the snow and ice of this place. Thankfully everything inside was already in place magically, but Harry could have sworn there was a spell to instantly set the tent up. He remembered Hermione using it, but couldn't remember the incantation. Either way, when the tent was up, they hurried inside and ran to the fire place instantly. Harry ignited it and began using a hot-air charm on himself and the floor, to help heat the large tent up. Ron zipped up the entrance completely to block out the snow and wind, then started pulling blankets out of the bag.

Harry said something along the lines of, _'Get the bottle of Dittany for Hermione, her leg looks very bad'_, but his shivering was so extreme that Ron could barely make out the words. Either way Ron got the point, and summoned the little bottle of Dittany liquid as well as the blankets.

Draco lay Hermione right beside the fireplace carefully, taking off his cloak and putting it over her. Ron came over with three blankets and the bottle of Dittany. Of course he hadn't gotten a blanket for Draco, who glared at him coldly. No-one spoke any further, however, as they were shivering too much for speech. The blood was everywhere, and the other two Gryffindor's were frozen from shock. They suddenly realized that their best friend was actually on the brink of death. Once again, they were worrying and fearing for Hermione's life. It seemed that Draco would have to do everything, so he snatched the little bottle of brown liquid out of Ron's hands and placed it beside Hermione's right leg. Then he began ripping the pants upwards to find the wound. There was a large, deep gash on her thigh which Draco could barely see under the pool of blood. It was incredibly gory, and Ron was feeling sick so he had to move away. Draco's hands were shaking horribly both from cold and panic, as he opened the bottle and let a few drops drip onto the wound. Magical mist rose from the wound, and the brown healing liquid took effect instantly, and within a few minutes the wound was closed and healed. All that remained was a thick pink scar on her thigh.

"_Tergeo_," murmured Harry, casting the cleaning spell to get rid of all the blood. Hermione was still deathly pale, and Draco leaned his ear against her chest - her breathing was very slow and irregular.

"P-Potter, w-wake her up, b-before it's t-too l-late," shivered Draco seriously. The tent was still freezing, and it would take a while for them to properly warm up again.

"_Rennervate_," Harry cast next. Nothing seemed to happen, and Draco's heart skipped a beat - she couldn't be _dead_? But then her eyes fluttered open, and she stared into the warm fire right in front of her. Next she looked up at Draco, with a weak and drowsy expression. She looked very exhausted and didn't ask questions - instead, she simply closed her eyes and fell back into a deep sleep. Ron returned and the three of them huddled around the fire as close as they could without being burnt. After warming up slightly, they emptied out the small bag of all clothes, books, food and other things Hermione and Draco had packed. There wasn't much talking, since they were still shivering too much. The tent had three rooms - two bedrooms on the left and right of the tent, separated by the middle room. The middle room had a tiny kitchen and living room with a fireplace, table and chairs, lounges etc.

Once warm enough, Harry and Ron went into the left bedroom and got changed into much warmer clothes with extra layers of jumpers. Draco grabbed a blanket from the bag and huddled in front of the fireplace for warmth, beside Hermione. He still didn't have any of his own clothes except the ones he left Malfoy Manor with - at the Burrow Mrs Weasley had offered him some of Fred and George's old clothes that Ron had. But Draco doubted that Ron would share anything at all now that they were out on their own. Likewise Draco didn't want to share clothes with someone he hated so much. The two Gryffindor's returned in warmer clothes and all of them huddled around the fire for at least twenty minutes. By that time the entire tent was warm, but Hermione was still pale.

"If she gets sick, it's your fault," said Draco, breaking the long silence. The statement was obviously directed at Ron, who went red with fury.

"You're the one who knocked her out, maybe if she was conscious when we apparated-" said Ron defensively.

"_You _apparated us into this freezing forest, because of _you _she nearly died of blood loss, and because of _you _she is-" shouted Draco, his anger evident. He was in quite a bad mood, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. Why should he care if Hermione nearly died? It's not like she mattered to him. But she _did _matter - it was an odd feeling. Over the past week or so they'd helped each other out quite a bit. His attitude towards the _'bookworm'_ had changed significantly. But his attitude towards Ron was only getting worse. How stupid could the Weasel be, apparating to a place he'd never been when all their lives were at stake.

"Shut up Malfoy, he had a reason to come to Albania. For months we've thought that a horcrux might be here," explained Harry in a firm tone. Even though he knew it was a mistake, at least it wasn't a stupid mistake. It was _kind of_ smart.

"Like you're going to find anything out _there _anyway. You should have thought before apparating to a random forest-" argued Draco, indicating towards outside where it was snowing. Finding any sort of object would have been near impossible, everything was coated in a thick layer of snow.

"In case you've forgotten, I didn't have much time for thinking about how the weather would be!" shouted Ron in frustration.

"Because you're an idiot-"

"It was a mistake, _drop it_-" Harry said tiredly.

"Mistakes get people killed," said Draco heavily. There was silence after that statement, and Harry glanced at Hermione who was still sleeping under blankets beside the fire.

"Why do you care?" demanded Ron suspiciously. Draco hesitated for a moment, not wanting to sound as if he liked Hermione too much. But he was also annoyed - he might be a Slytherin and former Death Eater, but he was still human. Obviously he didn't want to watch her, or anyone else die.

"I care because it could have been me who got splinched. And besides, I don't want to watch anyone die due to your stupid mistakes," spat Draco, glaring across the fireplace at Ron. The arguments went on for quite some time, but due to Harry's urging they managed to stop. Draco couldn't believe that he'd ever hated Hermione - compared to Ron, she was like his best friend. Being stuck in such close proximity inside the tent with nothing to do was not going to be pleasant for any of them. They couldn't leave the tent because the weather slowly began to get colder and harsher outside. They wouldn't be able to apparate again either - with Hermione still asleep and recovering from the last accident, it was far too risky.

They were in for a dramatic couple of days.

* * *

"Where is my wand?" demanded Draco, after searching the small bag. The other two Gryffindor's smirked, doing excellent impressions of the Slytherin. They were at the living room table playing wizards chest, and they were doing their best to frustrate Draco. It was a few hours after they'd arrived, and they'd finally settled into the tent. Hermione was still sleeping, and none of them had gotten anything to eat yet. Harry and Ron assumed that Hermione would cook when she woke up, which annoyed Draco to no end. How lazy could the other two be?

"Why should we tell you?" snorted Ron, after moving a pawn forwards on the chess board.

"Because it's my property - nice move retard, Potter's queen can get you-" snickered Draco, watching them from the fireplace. He didn't have any jumpers and he'd put his cloak on Hermione, so he was staying next to her and the fire with a blanket over his shoulders to stay warm. Harry eagerly moved his queen forwards, which whacked Ron's pawn off of the table.

"Actually ferret, I was sacrificing one piece for another – that's what _good_ chess players do," said Ron smugly, as he ordered his knight to take out Harry's queen. The magical chess knight reared up on its horse and smashed Harry's queen into little pieces. The remaining chess pieces on Ron's side cheered and shook their fists at Draco, who raised an eyebrow coldly.

"Whatever. Tell me where my damn wand is-"

"No-"

"Yes-"

"No-"

"Fine I'll steal yours and kill you with it in your sleep-"

"How about I kill you now-"

"You haven't got the balls Weasel, you never did-"

"Both of you _shut up_! You don't need your wand Malfoy, so stop whining-"

"Yes! Checkmate, _again_!" jeered Ron as his chess pieces chased Harry's king off the board.

"I want a rematch, Malfoy distracted me-"

"I'm sick of listening to you two play chess, you're such _fucking_ little nerds. Tell me where my wand is!" shouted Draco furiously, losing his patience completely.

"Keep it down, you might wake Hermione! And besides, what would you do if the situation was in reverse, ferret? There's no way you'd give us our wands back, because you're a slimy little git. Sit down and be quiet or we'll make you be quiet," said Ron forcefully. Draco didn't say another word, he just glared hatefully at the two Gryffindor's who once again started another game of chess. In his mind, that was the last straw. If he had a wand, the other two wouldn't be so confident. They really did need to be taught a lesson. But for the time being, there wasn't much he could do about it. Instead he got up and walked to the kitchen part of the tent to get himself something to eat.

"Can you get me something-" asked Harry.

"_Fuck off_ Potter," spat Draco waspishly, as he began to make himself a sandwich.

"It doesn't take long to make a sandwich, just make us-" growled Ron, looking up from the chess board.

"I'd rather make the mudblood a sandwich than you two, and that's saying something," said Draco snidely as he finished his sandwich and began searching the kitchen for his wand. They had to have hidden it somewhere...

"I'm telling her you called her a mudblood, you filthy git-" said Ron angrily.

"Grow up Weasel, what else are you going to do?" mocked Draco.

"Torture you-"

"Like that'll ever happen, you're scared of using the Dark Arts-" snorted Draco. In his eyes, all of the Gryffindor's were scared of dark magic. None of them had the guts to use it.

"No I'm not!"

"Shut up Malfoy, you're the one who's scared to use the Dark Arts. You were the one who cried in front of Dumble-"

"If I had a wand I'd kill you right now Potter-"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's somewhere in the kitchen - I don't care if you find it, because you're just a little coward," snapped Harry, ending the fight heavily. The mood in the tent was tense from the constant fighting. The three guys realized how badly they really did hate each other. They weren't just school-yard rivals - it was starting to become a much worse form of rivalry. Though he'd never admit it, Draco secretly wished Hermione to get better and wake up. Just like he was in charge of Crabbe and Goyle, Hermione was definitely in charge of Harry and Ron. Her intelligence and bossy nature would keep them in line. But until then, Draco would have to just try and avoid them. He began thoroughly searching the kitchen for his wand, while thinking of nasty plans for revenge on Ron. Ten minutes later he'd finally found it, and quietly put it in his pocket before returning to the fireplace with his sandwich. Harry and Ron had finally gotten bored of chess and they finished their last match - Ron winning again, as usual - and afterwards made themselves sandwiches also. The fact that none of them actually knew how to cook almost made Draco smirk. Draco did know how to cook basic things like bacon and eggs and omelettes, but he refused to do it for Harry and Ron. So instead, for lunch and dinner they had sandwiches and pumpkin juice.

"I'm going to bed," announced Harry when he'd finished eating.

"I'll take Hermione to bed," said Ron quickly, moving towards the fireplace where Draco was sitting. Harry had always known Ron liked her - and Draco was beginning to realize how obvious it was also. He was getting annoyed at the same time, because Ron was trying to help and care for her, when it was _his_ fault she got splinched. With the annoyance came a twinge of jealousy as well.

"Wait a minute, where's she going to sleep?" demanded Draco as he stood up. There were two bedrooms, which each had a bunk bed. There was no way in hell that he was going to sleep in the same room as Potter.

"In my room-" said Ron confidently.

"No, you're with Potter-"

"And what, leave Hermione with you? After what you've done?"

"After what I've _done_? It's thanks to _me_ she escaped the Manor-" said Draco furiously.

"You only did that to save yourself!" countered Ron.

"Don't try to place the blame on me! It's your fault we're stuck here in this mess!" shouted Draco, having a sudden urge to reach for his wand.

"It doesn't matter, you're a _Slytherin _- you're the last person she should be near-"

"Fuck off Weasley-"

"I'm _not_ sleeping in the same room as Malfoy," said Harry firmly, making this very clear.

"About time you say something useful Potter," snapped Draco in agreement.

"But Harry-"

"She'll just be one room away Ron, it's not a big deal. If Malfoy does anything stupid it'll be three against one," said Harry, glaring at Draco as if it were a warning - the glare was returned with equal dislike. The three of them stood silently, Ron looking the most annoyed. This meant that Harry and Ron would be sleeping in the left bedroom of the tent, and Hermione and Draco would be in the right bedroom.

"Fine, but I'm carrying her to bed," said Ron. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes - it amazed him how hard Ron tried to act like the knight in shining armour, when Hermione probably didn't even like him the same way that he liked her.

"Try not to splinch her again on the way to the bedroom, Sir Weasel," snapped Draco hurtfully. But the twinge of jealousy returned as he watched the Gryffindor girl be carried away by the person he hated most. That damn feeling! Why was he so jealous and annoyed about all of this? He shouldn't be. Harry and Draco waited in silence, as Ron took his time to tuck Hermione under the covers of the bottom bunk-bed. The longer he took, the more angry Draco felt himself get. When at last Hermione was comfortably in bed, Ron returned to the fireplace looking smug. And as Draco and Ron walked past each other to the separate bedrooms, shoving shoulders slightly, Draco realized why he had that jealous feeling.

It was because Ron was close to her, and he wasn't. It was because Ron could carry her to bed and he couldn't. It was because they were blaming each other over Hermione's well-being. Without realizing it, their rivalry was beginning to get competitive as well.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Early the next morning, Draco was woken up by someone kicking his mattress from underneath him. Being on the top bunk, he knew that it was Hermione who was doing the kicking. They were quite feeble kicks, and were barely moving him, but it was enough to wake him up.

"Wake – up-" he heard Hermione groan tiredly.

"I'm awake. Your kicking needs some work though," Draco smirked as he wiped his eyes and started to get up. For some reason, he was in a pretty good mood. Probably because he wouldn't have to put up with Harry or Ron as much, now that Hermione was awake.

"Can you come down? My pants are ripped, I've got a scar on my leg and I can't remember anything," said Hermione worriedly. Her voice sounded drained of strength, and Draco had a bad feeling that she might already have been getting sick. He slowly got up and climbed down to the floor, pulling a chair over to sit next to where Hermione was lying. She laid on her side under the covers and looked at him questioningly.

"Well, we kind of head clashed at the Burrow… and you got knocked out," said Draco, trying not to smirk or laugh.

"Yes, and that's the last thing I can remember," said Hermione grumpily.

"Yeah, well everything after that is Weasley's fault. He apparated us to Albania – god knows why – and it's freezing here. He splinched you badly, and we stood in the snow for fifteen minutes while they put the tent up-" Draco continued, feeling relieved at finally being able to inform her on how much of an idiot Ron was.

"Wait – you were carrying me the whole time?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Well yeah – the other two had to put the tent up, and I didn't have a wand," said Draco quickly. He wasn't embarrassed about it, because he knew that it probably annoyed Ron when he was carrying her.

"No it's fine, I was just wondering," said Hermione with a small smile.

"So by the time the tent was up, you were freezing cold and had lost heaps of blood… like I said, Weasley sucks at apparating and your leg got splinched. That's what the scar is," Draco explained, leaving out most of the details. Hermione knew that there was more to it, because her pants were ripped and she'd been caringly tucked into bed.

"And?" she asked, indicating him to continue.

"And I had to um – rip your pants – to find where you had gotten splinched. It was pretty gory, and Weasley moved away because he's a pussy. I dropped some Essence of Dittany on it and it healed, then Potter cleaned away all the blood," explained Draco.

"Who carried me to bed?" asked Hermione next.

"Sir Weasel, your Gyrffindor knight," said Draco sarcastically.

"You seem angry about it," Hermione mused, looking at him thoughtfully.

"That's because it was his fault you got splinched and cold, but he always tries to place the blame on someone else. By the way, he wanted you to sleep in his room last night. And you'll probably get sick," said Draco, making everything very clear.

"I know. Why didn't they put the tent up with magic? It would have made things faster…" said Hermione, trailing off in confusion.

"You can do that?" said Draco in bewilderment.

"Yes, '_Erecto_' is the incantation," said Hermione as though this was obvious.

"Again, that just proves how stupid they both are," said Draco in annoyance.

"I'm guessing there were lots of arguments?" asked Hermione, sounding a bit disappointed. She secretly hoped that maybe the other three would get along.

"Out of every person in Hogwarts, I think I hate those two the most. They expect you to cook for them when you wake up as well," said Draco as he got out of the chair and stretched. He was getting hungry and planned on making himself breakfast before the Gryffindor's woke up. Hermione remembered the last time they were hunting horcruxes, and how she always cooked for the other two – food was one of the main issues.

"I'm starving, but there's no way I'm cooking. Can you make breakfast?" Hermione asked.

"For myself I can," said Draco firmly.

"For me?" she continued shyly. There was a slight pause as they looked at each other. Hermione was looking at him with a 'puppy eyes' expression.

"What do I look like, a house elf?" said Draco in annoyance as he turned to leave the room. Hermione glared after him. Typical selfish pureblood, she shouldn't have even bothered asking him. But after the past couple of days, she'd expected some sort of change.

"Did I say you were a house elf?" she said angrily.

"No, but you ordered me to make break-" replied Draco sternly.

"I asked you politely!" called Hermione in exasperation as he walked out of sight.

"So? House elves are asked to cook by wizards."

"House elves cook because they _have_ to; you should cook because it's _the right thing do to_," Hermione called from the room, sounding upset. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and then slowly stood up. Draco was already in the kitchen and preparing to cook bacon and eggs.

"I'm a pureblood, I do whatever I want," said Draco with a smirk.

"Whatever Malfoy. If you're already making yourself breakfast, it wouldn't be hard to save some for me. But fine, I hope you're proud of yourself," snapped Hermione as she left the bedroom and looked for the small bag. She was clearly upset which made Draco feel bad. Memories of him giving her the apple in the cellar, and saying "I'd rather make the mudblood a sandwich, and that's saying something" to Harry and Ron crossed his mind. Maybe he was just being stupid. It wouldn't take long to make some extra bacon and eggs, and she _was_ his only ally in the group. And he knew for a fact that making Hermione breakfast would definitely piss Weasley off. While Draco was cooking, Hermione took the small bag over to the kitchen table and searched it for the potion she'd packed. The potion worked against all kinds of viruses, infections and illnesses like colds. It would help prevent getting too sick. As she searched the bag she glared over at Draco occasionally in annoyance. The food smelled delicious and she wondered where he'd learned to cook so well – and then it came to her when she saw the bacon and eggs.

"Oh wow, that looks just like-" Hermione began in surprise.

"Weasley's mum? Yeah, I copied her," said Draco in satisfaction. Hermione was shocked – she never expected that he would take advice from a Weasley, even if it was Molly. In his eyes, weren't the Weasley's the lowest of society (apart from muggles and mudblood's... like her)? But then, copying from someone else seemed like a Slytherin thing to do. When he'd finished cooking, he took two plates out and filled them both equally with bacon and eggs. Hermione smiled as he walked over.

"I accidentally cooked too much anyway, so-" said Draco as he put one down in front of her.

"Thanks Malfoy," said Hermione sincerely. They both ate quickly and Hermione continued searching the bag again, pulling out a little bottle of green liquid. They both looked at it.

"It'll help-" Hermione began to explain.

"Prevent sickness – mother used to give me that stuff when I was little," said Draco, looking at the bottle with dislike. Hermione took a tiny sip and cringed – it tasted awful – but the magic was like warmth as it surged through her body. Draco used magic to make the plates clean themselves and then got Ron's chess set out while Hermione got a glass of water. They heard movement from the other bedroom, and Hermione quickly rinsed her mouth out with water to get rid of the potion's taste. Draco cast a spell so that he could play wizard's chess against himself.

"Ron won't be happy with you using his chess set," said Hermione worriedly.

"What's he going to do about it?" sniggered Draco, but he went silent after that as he began to concentrate. Hermione watched in amusement as the little wizarding chess pieces smashed each other to bits. Draco was slowly but surely losing the match – and moments later they heard stomping footsteps coming from the other bedroom. Sure enough, Ron wasn't happy with him using the chess set.

"Hey, that's my chess set!" growled Ron as he walked into the room.

"Shut up, I'm concentrating," muttered Draco, scratching his chin and staring intently at the board.

"I don't care, it's mine," said Ron as he walked over.

"I find that hard to believe, you can't afford a chess set," smirked Draco, looking up.

"My mother bought it for me-" snarled Ron.

"Must've taken her years to save up for it – how generous of her," Draco said sarcastically as he looked back down and made another move. Ron went red with anger and looked as if he was going to pull his wand out.

"_Malfoy_!" exclaimed Hermione angrily.

"Shut your mouth ferret, or I'll hex you," Ron threatened.

"Pull your wand out Weasley and see what happens," said Draco darkly, glaring up at the redhead.

"Both of you stop – Malfoy can you please just give Ron his chess set?" asked Hermione. Draco glared at the other Gryffindor before standing up from the table. He didn't really care much about the chess set – but the thought of giving up to Ron frustrated him.

"Get it yourself," Draco said as he left the tent completely. Harry had just walked into the room and was watching in amusement.

"I'm going in for a shower and getting changed, we should leave soon," said Harry, hoping to change the subject and start pursuing horcruxes again.

"I should have hexed him-" Ron growled to himself.

"I can't believe you could get that angry over a game, Ron-" Hermione hissed as she turned to leave the tent.

"He offended my mother!" he shouted after her. But Hermione didn't listen and simply left to find where Malfoy had gotten to.

"Let it drop, man," Harry said to Ron when they were the only two left in the tent.

* * *

Inside the tent Harry and Ron were having showers and getting changed and ready for the night ahead. The plan was to leave before it got dark, but they couldn't go to Hogsmeade yet. It was best to go there in the morning, to avoid being caught by any Caterwauling charms. And if they left in the morning, that would give them the most time to get into Hogwarts and find the elder wand and horcruxes. Meanwhile outside the tent, Hermione quickly put some shoes on before walking over to where Draco was sitting on the snow.

"You didn't have to say that about Ron's mum-" said Hermione from behind him.

"You didn't have to come out here and tell me that," countered Draco without turning around.

"Well I wanted to. Why can't you just get along with him?" she asked next as she sat down. Thankfully it wasn't as cold as the day before. There was no snow or rain falling, just warm morning air. Draco shook his head in annoyance – why couldn't she get it? Everything about that redheaded fag put him in a bad mood.

"I'm not going to get along with him-" said Draco firmly.

"Because you're not trying-"

"And I don't plan to either, can you stop talking about it?" said Draco irritably as he looked at her. Hermione glared back before looking away and sighing grumpily. There was silence as they both thought about different things. Draco was thinking about how he'd ended up being able to talk to her like this. Even though they were disagreeing – it felt almost like they were two friends arguing in the Slytherin common room. He thought back to their early Hogwarts years and realized that there was a reason they got along better. Hermione had never really done anything bad to him. He bullied her and called her names because she was a know-it-all mudblood. The only bad thing was when she punched him in the face in their third year – he smirked slightly when he remembered. But after that, it was a more serious type of rivalry with Harry and Ron. The duelling, breaking Harry's nose, being ordered to kill Dumbledore – it all went downhill and became very serious. Hermione was thinking about how she was slowly being stuck in between the three of them.

"Harry and Ron are probably hungry-" Hermione began in an attempt to start a conversation.

"They can eat shit for breakfast," muttered Draco.

"Why are you always like this-?" Hermione demanded as she looked at him.

"If Weasley suddenly dropped dead, I wouldn't give a damn. That's why Granger, I just don't care-" said Draco coldly.

"You seemed to care about me last night," said Hermione quickly, cutting him off. There was silence after that, as Draco didn't know what to say; she'd got him there. He couldn't lie to himself – he did care last night, and if he hadn't done anything she probably would have died. The silence became awkward and he got up to leave.

"Malfoy wait, I shouldn't have-" continued Hermione, but he'd already walked into the tent. She sighed – why on earth did she say that? Moments later she walked into the tent, hearing a shower on. Draco and Harry were sitting on opposite sides of the living room, refusing to communicate or acknowledge each other. Clearly Ron was in the shower, and Harry looked as if he'd just gotten out because his messy black hair was still damp.

"We're going to leave before it gets dark Hermione, to somewhere else. And tomorrow morning we'll go to Hogsmeade," said Harry, quickly breaking the silence.

"Oh good. Malfoy are you going in next?" asked Hermione, gesturing towards the bathroom and shower. Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I haven't got anything to change into," he answered.

"What about Ron's or Harry's stuff-" Hermione suggested.

"I'm not wearing their filthy clothes-" said the Slytherin.

"Nor are we giving him any," said Harry with equal dislike.

"You guys are so childish, honestly," said Hermione as she glared at them. Neither replied, so she continued, "fine, we'll have to go get you some muggle clothes Malfoy."

"I'm not wearing muggle clothes!" Draco growled in outrage. All his life he'd only worn wizards clothing, and it was odd seeing Hermione and Harry always walking around in muggle clothes. Ron usually wore wizard clothing too because his family were purebloods – though they weren't as strict as Draco's. It was almost a family rule to wear expensive wizard robes. Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Muggle clothes or no clothes Malfoy, you decide-" she said forcefully.

"You'd like that wouldn't you-" Draco sniggered in reply.

"Because I'm not your mother and I'm not going to clean your-" Hermione continued, ignoring his comment.

"Alright, alright, I get the point!" said Draco quickly, sighing to himself. Even though wearing muggle clothes would be a pain, and an act against his pureblood nature; he was willing to do anything to leave the tent for a while. It was Hermione's turn in the shower after Ron, and once again Draco was left alone with Scarhead and Sir Weasel. When Ron was informed that Hermione and Draco were going to buy muggle clothes alone, he suddenly wanted to go as well.

"I'm not letting her leave with you alone-"

"What am I going to do, bully her to death?" said Draco in exasperation.

"You're still a Death Eater, you'll take her to You-Know-Who-" continued Ron, who had clearly been thinking about this for a while.

"If I wanted to do that why the hell would I escape with her?" asked Draco rhetorically. Ron paused for a moment, but before he could reply Draco continued.

"And you don't know anything about how the Dark Lord thinks – don't talk about things you don't understand," said Draco in frustration. The truth was, that Voldemort wouldn't care about Hermione or Draco anymore. They were just two teenagers, a mudblood and a blood traitor. If he showed up with Hermione and handed her over, they would probably both be killed. There really was no turning back at all for him, which was something Harry and Ron didn't understand. He couldn't just hand over the mudblood and be rewarded like a hero – it didn't work like that with Voldemort.

"Yeah, you understand how he thinks because you're on his side-" snarled Ron.

"Shut up Weasley,"said Draco warningly. Again, the redhead was blabbering about something he knew nothing about. Draco's parents were currently wandless, defenceless and at the mercy of Voldemort. Their son was considered a traitor, and for that reason they were probably going to be killed. But the Malfoy's had been treated badly long before Dumbledore's death – mainly because of Lucius's mistakes as a Death Eater. But there was no way that Draco would talk about his parents in front of them – in fact he didn't want to talk to them about anything at all.

"I'm right, aren't I? That's why you haven't got anything to say!" continued Ron eagerly as he pointed an accusing finger at Draco, who glared back.

"I haven't said anything because my situation is more complicated than your puny brain can handle-" replied Draco, but the arguing continued and it slowly got worse and worse. Ron seemed convinced with his own idea that Draco was really acting undercover to find out what they were up to. Of course this was ridiculous – but it made sense in Ron's eyes. Harry was trying not to get involved with the arguing, but he was siding with Ron fully. Draco was doing his best to ignore Ron as well, because they were touching on a delicate subject. The main reason he'd joined them on this stupid horcrux quest was to end the war and be reunited with his parents. And the more reluctant Draco seemed to talk about it, the more convinced Ron was that he was secretly on Voldemort's side. And that's what it was like for the next twenty minutes, the mood slowly worsening as the minutes went by. Draco couldn't wait for Hermione to hurry up so that he could be out of the tent. At last she got out of the bathroom already dressed and ready. She must have realized that they'd been fighting, because of their expressions and body language.

"Hermione, I've got to get some clothes too so can I-" Ron began to ask quickly.

"He wants to come because he thinks I'm going to kidnap you and hand you over to the Death Eaters," Draco explained in a bored voice. There was a short silence as Ron glared at Draco and they all waited for Hermione's reply.

"If he wanted to do that he wouldn't have left the Death Eater's-" said Hermione in confusion.

"Like I said-"

"He's lying!"

"Will you just stop fighting? Ron you already have heaps of clothes packed, you don't need any more. And besides, I'm sick of listening to you two argue over the smallest things," said Hermione as she searched the small bag for something. Ron went silent but was clearly furious, and Draco looked rather smug. A moment later Hermione pulled out the Invisibility cloak.

"Don't take long, we should really be leaving before it gets dark," said Harry, secretly glad that Draco was leaving the tent for a while. He too was sick of listening to the arguments.

* * *

After leaving the tent they disapparated to a muggle town in London, still under the Invisibility cloak. Hermione lead the way towards the door of a clothing store, and noticed that the shop was closed. After drawing her wand and unlocking it with '_Alohamora_', they both entered the shop. Luckily the shop owner had left, so they could talk without being heard. To be safe, Hermione relocked the front door with magic and then took the cloak off.

"I'm choosing the clothes," said Draco firmly as he looked around. To him, everything looked completely strange.

"Do you know what jeans are?" asked Hermione.

"What?"

"Exactly, I'm the muggle girl so you should wear what I say," said Hermione with a grin. She began walking around the shop taking all sorts of shirts, pants and other muggle stuff. Draco barely went shopping even for wizarding clothes – shopping always seemed like a girls thing. He preferred shopping for Quidditch gear and new racing brooms, joke and prank objects like the ones from '_Weasley's Wizarding Weezes_'. And even dark objects like cursed necklaces and vanishing cabinets. So he stood back and let Hermione pick out the clothes.

"So what was Ron saying when I was in the shower?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Going on about me being a Death Eater spy, which is ridiculous because he doesn't know anything about it," Draco answered, leaning against a clothing stand.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Hermione, glancing at him.

"Forget it," said Draco shortly. He didn't want to tell Hermione all about his personal worries and family issues. They might be getting along, but they weren't close enough friends for that. Hermione suspected that he was keeping things to himself. It made sense – she hadn't told him anything about her parents and where they were either. But she did know that he wasn't a spy, because at Malfoy Manor him and his parents were treated terribly. And the main reason he agreed to join them was because of his mum and dad.

"Well… if you ever feel like it, you can talk to me about it," suggested Hermione without looking at him. Draco didn't know what to say so he just stayed quiet. But he knew that she was trustworthy – he would definitely talk to Granger more than the other two. He tried on some of the picked out clothes and felt very foolish looking like a muggle. Once he'd agreed to wear the clothes though, Hermione began looking around and choosing clothes for herself. Looking outside, the sun was beginning to go down.

"Granger we haven't got much time," he called from outside the change room. When at last she came back out with two bags full of clothes, they were ready to leave.

"Should we leave some money?" said Hermione as she looked at how much clothes they'd taken.

"Why? They're only muggles," said Draco with a shrug.

"Stop talking like muggles are inferior Malfoy-" said Hermione angrily as she glared at him.

"But they are-"

"We're not thieves-"

"We're magic; we take what we want," said Draco firmly.

"That's just wrong. I'll leave $100," decided Hermione, leaving a paper note beside the cash register. She knew that was nowhere near enough, but at least they weren't just taking it for nothing. And that was almost all the muggle money she had left.

"Even muggle money looks weird," muttered Draco to himself as they left the shop. The sun was almost completely down, so they put the Invisibility cloak back on and held hands to apparate.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

When they returned to the tent Draco quickly went in for a shower. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the living room and decided how they would get into Hogwarts more in-depth. The plan was very fool proof and simple, though, and there wasn't much to talk about. Harry and Ron would be under the Invisibility cloak, Hermione and Draco would be under the Disillusionment blanket, and they would all Apparate into Hogsmeade the next morning. From there they would sneak into the Honeydukes basement and use the underground passage to get into Hogwarts. Then they would split into pairs and search for the Elder Wand and any horcruxes. While it was a simple plan, there were also heaps of risks. Students and teachers would be swarming the corridors, and there were at least three Death Eaters at Hogwarts – Snape and the Carrow's. After they'd agreed on the plan, Ron seemed more interested in other things.

"So, did you and _Malfoy_ have fun _shopping_ together?" asked Ron in a would-be pleasant voice. But it was obvious that he was angry about it. Harry eyed his friend warningly, as if to say, 'be quiet'.

"Yes we did," replied Hermione simply.

"You seem to like being alone with-" continued Ron slowly.

"So it's a crime to go shopping wi-" Hermione snapped. She knew where the conversation was heading.

"With him it is, yes!" shouted Ron, pointing towards the bathroom door.

"Ron be quiet-" warned Harry, looking at the entrance to the tent curiously. But the other two paid no attention to him.

"You need to grow up Ron!"

"I was right from the start, you're fraternising-"

"Maybe if you guys didn't fight so much I wouldn't want to leave the tent all the time!" Hermione yelled in reply.

"He starts the fights on purpose-"

"I'm sick of arguing over this-"

"Both of you, _be quiet_!" hissed Harry as he stood up and drew his wand. Everything went silent as they followed Harry's line of sight and looked towards the entrance of the tent. Even the shower had stopped, so they could clearly hear the crunching of snow from outside. Hermione's eyes widened in fear as she too stood up and drew her wand. They began to hear voices drifting towards the tent – voices that haunted Hermione slightly. It seemed that the snatchers were getting better at finding people. The crunching sound of footsteps on snow was drawing closer.

"Did you put up protective enchantments?" whispered Hermione, looking at Harry. He shook his head, using his wand to quickly pack things in the small bag. They would either have to fight or run, and fast - there was no way they'd let the snatchers catch them again. Hermione gasped aloud in shock – how could they have forgotten to put up protective enchantments? The both of them were so irresponsible! Without her they wouldn't last two days by themselves, Hermione thought as she moved quickly to the bathroom. Ron began helping Harry pack as much things into the small bag as possible.

"Malfoy! Hurry up!" Hermione hissed into the crack of the door.

"Calm down Granger, I'll be out in a sec," replied his voice from inside. Clearly he had no idea what was going on, and they didn't have 'a sec'. They needed to get out of there that instant.

"We heard shouting, come out with your hands up!" came a voice from outside the tent. Hermione was absolutely terrified at that point, so she quickly unlocked the bathroom door and opened it. Draco was only wearing jeans and no shirt, and he looked up in surprise.

"Geez, someone's eager-"

"S-snatchers are here, we have to go!" said Hermione quickly, running in and grabbing his things. They both ran into the living room where Harry and Ron were waiting with their wands pointing at the entrance. The light was out and all was pitch black as Draco also raised his own wand. They waited in frightened silence as the sound of footsteps began to circle the tent.

"On the count of three, shoot spells and hold hands," Hermione whispered to them. They all nodded, although it was hard to see any movement at all in the darkness. Once Draco's spare clothes were in the small bag as well, Hermione held his hand and raised her wand.

"One… two…"

"This is your last chance to come out-" growled the voice.

"Three!" hissed Hermione, instantly followed by an explosion of colour. Hermione waved her wand and took the tent down instantly with the counter spell of '_Erecto_', while the other three shot continuous spells of red and green. Shouts from the snatchers filled the air as they returned the spells, but before they could fully react the four of them had clasped hands and vanished from the spot.

* * *

Their hearts were pounding as they collapsed on a hill together. It was pitch black, which added to their fear and panic. They all cast '_Lumos_' and ignited the hill with bright wandlight, breathing hard and looking at each other. Hermione looked beside herself with anger. The others had made so many mistakes, such as forgetting how to put up a tent with magic, which had almost cost her own life. And all four of them had nearly been captured by snatchers, something she'd been terrified of, because they forgot to put up protective enchantments.

"Set up the tent, and this time use '_Erecto_' so that we're not standing out here for twenty minutes," she said furiously, glaring at Harry who was holding the bag. Realization dawned on his face as he remembered how to magically put the tent up. While they did that, Hermione circled the area and put up protective enchantments to make sure they wouldn't be found there. Once the tent was up, they all entered, ignited the fire and put the lights back on.

"What the _fuck_ just happened?" demanded Draco, still only wearing jeans and shivering slightly without a shirt on. He snatched the bag off Harry and searched for a muggle shirt that Hermione had gotten.

"Yes, what did just happen?" agreed Hermione as she glared at Harry and Ron.

"We forgot to put up the enchantments, so what?" said Ron, shrugging slightly.

"_SO WHAT_?" screeched Hermione incredulously.

"We were in the middle of nowhere Hermione-" explained Harry.

"It doesn't matter, we almost got caught back there because of your _stupid_-" she continued, getting louder and louder. Draco could tell that this was the final straw, and he watched as the three best friends exploded in arguments.

"It was just a mistake!" said Harry exasperatedly.

"I almost died yesterday because of your mistakes, or have you forgotten that as well?" screamed Hermione.

"You can't just blame us – Malfoy forgot too-"

"I never knew about the enchantments Weasley, you idiot," snarled Draco in return.

"There's no one else to blame but yourselves! I can't believe how careless you both are!" said Hermione as her eyes began to water slightly.

"We're okay now and that's all that matters," said Harry, although he looked hurt by being yelled at and insulted.

"No Harry, I'm not okay. You and Ron have put all our lives in danger. You have no idea what I went through when the snatchers caught me last time. I never want that to happen again," said Hermione, sobbing slightly as she turned away from them and headed for her bedroom. There was an eerie silence after the door slammed. Draco considered going in there to avoid being around the other two. But he'd never seen Hermione so angry and emotional, he wasn't sure if it was safe going into the room. It was true, however, that he agreed with everything she had said. The silence lengthened as neither of them knew what to say, so Draco headed for the bedroom.

"I'm on her side," he said over his shoulder as he opened the door. When he walked inside, he saw Hermione sitting on her bed with her knees against her chest.

"Get out," she sobbed as he closed the door.

"No," Draco answered firmly, getting up onto the top bunk bed.

"I don't want you here-" continued Hermione weakly.

"Well then you should have locked the door," replied Draco, leaning back against his pillows with a smirk. There was silence as Hermione sighed, not bothering to argue anymore.

"Are you going to sleep? I want to turn the light out," said Draco, breaking the silence.

"No, I came in here to cry," answered Hermione from below him. Draco raised an eyebrow in confusion. He had no idea why she would sit in her room just to cry. It seemed like a really dumb thing to say and do.

"Well can you cry in the dark?" he asked, trying not to snigger as he said it.

"NO Malfoy!" answered Hermione stubbornly. Draco sighed, lying back in his bed and thinking about what to say. In a way he wanted to help out, because he was used to the whole 'friendship/relationship issues'. At Hogwarts he had to listen to people like Pansy Parkinson and Blaize Zabini go on and on about all their problems. Slytherin's were actually very social and helpful to their closest of friends. While Harry and Ron never talked about girls, and Hermione never talked about boys - the Slytherin's were the opposite - they talked about anything and everything. And just like Hermione had been saying since the beginning - the four of them had to get along somehow, or else they were going to be miserable.

"If it helps, everything you said was right. Maybe they'll get the message now and start thinking straight," suggested Draco aloud.

"I suppose. I hope I didn't hurt their feelings - I'm just so sick of everything, I always have to do all the work," said Hermione in frustration.

"Imagine being out here with Crabbe and Goyle. After six years at Hogwarts, Greg still can't cast '_Lumos_', and he learned to read in our third year," sniggered Draco, remembering how truly stupid his two best friends are. Hermione laughed a bit - she could actually remember that one of them didn't know how to read when they were little.

"Which one was Greg?" she asked, trying to remember.

"Goyle, the bigger one. Crabbe was the fat one. They may have been complete retards, and all of Gryffindor probably hated them, but they were hilarious to be around and great friends," said Draco. He had no idea why he was telling Hermione all this - but either way, she wasn't crying any more and it was one of the first proper conversations they'd ever had.

"Do you miss them?" asked Hermione curiously. She noticed that his voice was kind of sad as he spoke about his friends.

"Well, how would you feel if you were stuck here with me, Crabbe and Goyle, setting out to kill an evil Dumbledore, while Harry and Ron were hanging out at Hogwarts for a year?" asked Draco in a would-be joking voice, but Hermione realized that that was the exact situation that Draco was in.

"That would actually be really scary," said Hermione honestly, feeling really sympathetic towards him.

"It's mainly just strange. And frustrating, because of Potter and Weasley," Draco said. He lied slightly there - it actually _was_ really scary. Joining his enemies, camping out in the middle of nowhere, going to Hogwarts which is filled with students, teachers and three Death Eaters... setting out to kill Voldemort while not knowing whether his parents were dead or alive. Yes, it was actually really scary. But at least he had a chance to change things, for better or for worse. They turned the lights out and talked for a while longer until they were both tired enough to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning everyone woke up at different times and got prepared to go to Hogwarts that day. For breakfast they just had toast, and spent the rest of the time packing the tent and everything else into the small enchanted bag again. It was strange going to Hogwarts again - mainly because they knew they would be sneaking in from an underground passage, not arriving by train. Once everything was packed, Hermione took out the Invisibility cloak and blanket. Then she lead the way up to the top of a hill, and Harry and Ron put their Invisibility cloak on. They vanished completely from sight. Hermione got out the blanket – which now was translucent – and put it over herself. Draco nodded.

"I can barely see you, it's almost invisible," he said in satisfaction, "good work."

"Thanks," Hermione smiled, taking it off her and turning to see Harry and Ron take off their cloak.

"Okay, we'll apparate in our pairs. Remember to try and get as close to Honeydukes as possible. If we can't see each other, stick your foot out from under the cloak and whisper something," said Hermione, though she doubted that would work.

"We better not lose each other," said Harry, casting a cold glare at Draco before throwing the cloak back over him and Ron. Hermione did the same, covering herself and Draco. The blanket was smaller, and they had to be almost hugging to stay completely underneath it.

"Three, two, one," said Hermione, turning on the spot and disapparating from the hill. They went through the uncomfortable feeling of being sucked through a rubber tube, and re-appeared a moment later down an alleyway, nearly falling over. They had to hold on to each other to regain their balance – laughing slightly as they did so. Then they attempted to stay quiet as they looked around to see where they were.

"This is beside Honeydukes," whispered Draco, and he pointed where to go. It was awkward and hard to walk being so close to each other, and they had to make sure not to step on the blanket as well. With many muffled laughs and tripping on each other's feet, they reached the front of Honeydukes. On the windows there were no longer bright, colourful signs and pictures of chocolates and sweets. Instead there were Wanted posters of Harry, Ron, Hermione and other muggle-borns on the run. The shop looked very grim indeed, like every other shop down the entire street - almost everything was smashed, dark and gloomy. Hermione saw the door of Honeydukes open outwards, but there was no-one there, so she knew it was Harry and Ron. Hurrying forwards as fast as they could, they reached the door and slipped in as well. Hermione was right the day before – it was much warmer under the blanket. The problem was, it was a hot day, and two people stumbling along under a blanket created a lot of warmth. They wandered into the shop, slowly slipping past the lady at the counter.

"_Alohamora_," murmured Harry's voice from ahead, and they saw the basement door unlock and creak open. They held the door open for Hermione and Draco, who walked in invisibly. Then the door closed, and they re-locked it.

"You go first, Harry, you know the way best," Hermione whispered into midair, the trapdoor a few feet away.

"Okay," came Harry's whisper. They all quickly took off their cloaks and Harry opened the trap door, going down first. After him, they all went down one at a time into the underground passage. To be safe, they closed the trapdoor and got under their cloaks again. They stumbled along the passage without any light, for what felt like ages. Hermione could feel herself sweating under the hot blanket.

"I think a blanket would've been better during the night, not the day," whispered Draco, reading her mind.

"Agreed," Hermione whispered back. They heard Ron snigger from ahead. The minutes ticked by slowly as they continued stumbling through the long, dark passage.

* * *

"We're at the end," whispered Harry from in front of them, nearly twenty minutes later.

"_Finally_."

"Thank god."

"Have a quick break," said Hermione quietly, pushing the blanket off. The cool air of the underground passage felt great, and they relaxed against the stone walls. Only a few minutes later however, they had to move again. Harry and Ron went under their cloak, and prepared to move the statue of the one-eyed witch.

"It's going to be even hotter up there in the castle," whispered Draco, groaning slightly.

"I know. Give me a second," said Hermione quietly, taking off her long-sleeved shirt. Underneath she was wearing a singlet, so she put the shirt in the bag. Draco glanced at her slender figure nervously. Everything she did seemed to be delicate and angelic.

"Ready?" she asked, holding the blanket up.

"Oh – yeah," said Draco, doing his best to act nonchalant and mature. Hermione seemed to find this amusing since only days ago he probably would have smirked and said something to annoy her. She smiled and put the blanket back over them, preparing to move into the halls of Hogwarts. Even though she'd been there for six years, her heart was thudding against her chest. The same thing was happening to the other three beside her. Harry was nervous because Hogwarts was the closest thing to home for him, and he was going to see Dumbledore's grave again. Ron was nervous because he had a chance to see his little sister again. Draco was nervous because every student in the castle thought he was a Death Eater criminal - and the Carrow's would surely kill him if they saw him.

"_Dissendium_," murmured Harry from in front of them. The statue moved aside, and they had to shield their eyes from the light of the corridor. Hermione and Draco drew close again as they began walking, and Harry moved the statue back into place. It seemed that they'd been lucky – there was no one around, and no one was guarding the statue.

"We're on the third floor. Dumbledore's grave is out on the grounds. We can't see each other, so just meet up at the grave," Hermione whispered quietly.

"What if something goes wrong?" came Ron's anxious whisper. It took a few moments for someone to reply.

"Room of Requirement. If you get into trouble, hide there," whispered Harry.

"And after that?" Ron continued.

"If everything goes wrong, we meet up again at The Burrow. Just get out of Hogwarts by any means necessary and disapparate. Okay, good luck, see you on the grounds," Hermione whispered, the other two also wishing her good luck. Unable to see the other two, Hermione and Draco set off in their own direction. They were huddled close together, moving carefully to avoid stumbling. It was going to take a long time to get to the grounds, and if students and teachers were walking around, it was going to be very dangerous.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	12. Chapter 12

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

They were on the second floor and they heard the thundering sound of footsteps through the corridors. It sounded extraordinarily loud, since Hermione and Draco had been as quiet as possible so far and everyone was in class. But now students were pouring out of classrooms in every direction.

"Oh no, we need to hide!" whispered Hermione, panicking. They stumbled to a wall, and crouched, praying no one would walk into them. As soon as the last student left the classroom next to them, they snuck through the door into the classroom. The teacher they saw was not the best one to be hiding in a room with, however. Amycus Carrow stood behind his desk, packing away that lessons papers. The door slammed shut and Hermione gasped aloud, both in fright from the door slamming and shock at seeing the Death Eater as a teacher. The Carrow looked up, his black eyes squinting.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice filled with authority. His eyes darted and squinted again, and he seemed to be looking right at them.

"I know you're there, I can see something shimmer. Bloody little kids, think you can sneak up on me!" he shouted angrily, taking out his wand.

"Run!" hissed Draco, opening the door to let her out first. He followed, slamming the door shut as a spell smashed against it. All caution was forgotten as Draco took the translucent blanket and shoved it in the bag Hermione was carrying. They sprinted, dodging surprised students, back towards the stairs.

"We've got to get to the Room of Requirement!" called Hermione, who was far behind Draco. They'd just reached an empty corridor, so he slowed down and grabbed her hand. Together they sprinted, reaching the third floor in seconds. Draco was much faster, but he didn't leave her for which she was grateful. Behind them they could hear Amycus shouting and screaming, demanding them to stop or else they'll be in detention for months. Hermione would have been laughing, if the situation wasn't so serious.

"_Crucio_!" came another voice, a female voice. The spell hit the wall beside Hermione, causing her to scream and run faster. Draco turned and realized that Alecto had joined the chase. Alecto and Amycus, the Carrow twins. He'd had enough experience with them as a Death Eater to know not to get on their bad side. They looked beside themselves with fury. They reached the fifth floor, and Draco was practically pulling Hermione's hand to make them go faster. Since the Carrow's were both short and plump, they had no problem outrunning them even at Hermione's pace. He pulled his wand out with his other hand, and began shooting stunning spells over his shoulder, hoping to get lucky. They reached the seventh floor after minutes of running, out of breath, and ran down a straight corridor. Amycus had caught up frighteningly quick.

"_Stupefy_!" screamed the Death Eater furiously. The red flash of light hit its mark – directly hitting Hermione in the back. She was thrown forward, landing hard onto the stone corridor. Draco swore in panic, turning around. He couldn't leave her, but he didn't know if he could save her either.

"_Protego_!" Draco shouted, casting the shielding spell over himself and Hermione's body. The next stunning spell smashed against the shimmering magical shield.

"_Reducto_!" shouted Draco next, blasting the wall beside the Death Eater apart and knocking Amycus to the ground. The Death Eater was buried under stones and rock, and didn't move. Draco acted quickly, putting his wand away and lifting Hermione's unconscious body off the ground. He began running again, slower this time, and he turned a corner and was on the corridor of the Room of Requirement. He could hear Alecto's screams of fury, but he blocked that out and thought desperately, 'I need a place to hide something... I need a place to hide something... I need a place to hide something...'

"Yes," whispered Draco gratefully, as the wall transformed into large double-doors. He kicked them open and ran in, slamming them shut and locking it. From outside in the corridor, the doors would quickly vanish, and he would be safe. He waited a few seconds, listening, but could hear nothing. He'd made it. When he turned around, he stood gaping at what he saw. The room was huge, and filled with the junk of generations after generations of old Hogwarts students. He remembered being here though – as he walked further into the gigantic room, he saw the Vanishing Cabinet that he had mended the year before. Memories of tirelessly working in here, long into the night, came to his mind. He was very proud when he'd finished, although, he hadn't realized all the work would have caused such a dreadful thing to happen. Looking away from the cabinet, he continued walking further in. If the Carrow's managed to find this room, he'd want to be hidden inside of it – which wasn't hard, considering all the twists and turns, hiding places behind all the junk. It was large enough to get lost in. He looked down at Hermione's calm, pretty face as he carried her. Despite everything he'd learned as a kid, despite all his father had told him about muggle-borns and mudbloods, he liked the girl in front of him - as a friend - though he knew he shouldn't have. Once he'd walked far enough, he gently placed her on the ground and leaned her head on the bag like a pillow, and pointed his wand at her.

"_Rennervate_," Draco murmured, the spell awaking her from unconsciousness. Her eyes opened drowsily and she looked around with a pained expression.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at Draco kneeling beside her.

"You got stunned, I knocked Amycus out and carried you here," said Draco, trying not to smirk. She looked around, realizing they must be in the Room of Requirement.

"You carried me?" Hermione asked in surprise. He blushed slightly, unsure of what to say.

"Well, you were unconscious and I knew Alecto was going to come and probably kill you-" said Draco quickly, but Hermione wasn't angry – she was smiling.

"No no, its fine.. thanks. I just didn't expect you to do something like that," she said thoughtfully, looking into his eyes. He shrugged in embarrassment.

"Do you think a horcrux is somewhere in here?" asked Draco, changing the subject.

"Why? Is this place big?" Hermione asked, sitting up. She gasped in pain, holding her forehead.

"Headache? And yeah, this place is big. I know it well, though," said Draco, looking at her in concern.

"Yeah, it just hurts probably from being stunned and woken up again," said Hermione, slowly standing up. She seemed so fragile and delicate in the singlet, and her left arm seemed to be bruising from where she'd fallen onto the stone floor.

"You look kind of dizzy, Granger. Perhaps you should sit-" said Draco cautiously, but she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Just give me a hand, let's look for a horcrux," said Hermione, holding his arm for balance.

"I fixed the Vanishing Cabinet in here," said Draco grimly as they started walking.

"Bad memories?" asked Hermione curiously, looking at him. He just nodded.

"Hmm. Well, let's look for something out of the ordinary," she continued, looking everywhere as they walked. They had to step over all sorts of junk littered along the ground, and Hermione found herself leaning on Draco for balance.

"A cup, maybe he hid it here... or a diadem. What on earth does a diadem look like?" said Draco out loud, trying to imagine what it was.

"I think it's like a tiara, she would have put it on her head," said Hermione, pretending to put a tiara on her head. Draco smirked at her.

"What? It is! Look, like this thing here," Hermione continued with a smile, letting go of his arm and moving towards an old cupboard. On top of it was a dusty wig, and what looked like an ancient, discoloured tiara. She reached up on her tippy-toes and took it down, marvelling at its beauty. She turned, and was about to put it on her head.

"No, wait Granger! Look closer, I don't think that's an ordinary tiara," said Draco urgently, moving forwards. They both inspected it, and Hermione gently pushed away most of the dust and read the tiny inscribed writing.

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_!" she gasped, her eyes widening. In her hands was a horcrux – no wonder she had a sudden urge to put it on. Not because it was beautiful, because of the evil magic inside of it.

"Gosh, Malfoy, if you hadn't stopped me – who knows what it would have done. Harry had Slytherin's locket around his neck and it nearly strangled him to death underwater," said Hermione, holding the diadem further away from her face as though it was going to bite.

"I don't blame it, I wouldn't like being around his neck either," Draco sneered. She glared at him, so he continued, "lets grab the sword."

They made their way back to the bag, Draco holding the diadem this time. He – like Hermione – was having a strange urge to see what happened if he put it on. Hermione reached the bag and searched through it, making sure not to cut herself when she found the sword. A few seconds later and she pulled it out by the hilt. It shined brightly, the great ruby in the hilt glowing. Draco dropped the diadem, letting it clatter to the ground. They stared at it, then at each other.

"You do it," said Hermione, offering him the sword.

"No way, Granger. You're the Gryffindor, this 'mission' thing was given to you-" said Draco, shaking his head.

"Malfoy! We're doing this mission together, you're part of it. Harry and Ron have already destroyed something, and I'll destroy the cup," said Hermione, the sword still extended towards him. She also wanted him to do it, because that would confirm the fact that he was good. That he was against evil, and against You-Know-Who. Maybe it would change the way he thought. He took a deep breath, then sighed and took the sword from her. The diadem seemed to gleam beautifully, the tiny writing shining up at him. He raised the sword, preparing for the strike. Hermione watched as the sword came down swiftly, and the diadem shined a blinding white light as it smashed – they were momentarily blinded for a few seconds. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the diadem broken into two pieces, with the sword of Gryffindor lying beside it. Smoke was billowing into the air in front of Draco, and his eyes were gleaming a strong silvery colour.

"One down," commented Hermione in satisfaction.

"Don't get too happy. Now we've got to get out of here," Draco muttered.

* * *

They had been there for ten minutes, thinking of ideas on how they would escape. They attempted to think of a 'secret way out' of Hogwarts, but the Room couldn't magically make an underground tunnel for them. They had to find something it could produce, it could create inside the room. Then it came to Draco –

"Brooms!" he said excitedly, filled with new energy.

"No Malfoy, I hate flying – really-" said Hermione, panicking slightly.

"How can you not like flying? I thought you were good at everything Granger," smirked Draco, setting off through the giant room to find abandoned brooms hidden by Hogwarts students.

"I'm not good at _everything_! And I'm not joking Malfoy, I have a fear of flying and heights! I've only been on a broom once in my entire life," said Hermione, following him through the mountains of junk. He turned, looking at her in disbelief.

"Yeah right. Potter and Weasel love Quidditch, you've definitely been on a broom more than once," he said, beginning to search again. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Think hard, Malfoy. When have you _ever_ seen me on a broom?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. He looked at her again, frowning slightly.

"Hmm. Lots of memories of you flying around in the library-" Draco smirked. Hermione smacked him on the arm playfully.

"I'm right though, aren't I? You've never seen me on a broom. The last time I flew was earlier this year, and that was with someone else flying because we were in pairs. We weren't even on a broom, we were on a Thestral. All I did was hold on, and it was terrifying," said Hermione, the memories returning. It was when she'd had to have Polyjuice potion to turn into Harry, so that there were seven Harry's – and she'd flown on the Thestral with Kingsley.

"No wonder you're scared of flying, I wouldn't go anywhere on a bloody _Thestral_. And besides, you've got no choice – it is our only way out of here, Granger. Die here, or fly away," said Draco, shrugging carelessly as he continued searching.

"You're not understanding me, Malfoy. Do you have some sort of fear? Or phobia? Like spiders, perhaps?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Yeah, spiders are pretty creepy," said Draco sharply, looking around as if one might be sneaking up on him.

"Well I have a fear of flying and heights. I haven't flown on a broom, by myself, for nearly six years. There is no way I'm doing it now – and in case you haven't noticed, we're on the seventh floor – do you have any idea how high this tower is?" said Hermione exasperatedly.

"Aha! Found one, looks old though," said Draco, pushing things aside and pulling out an ancient, dusty broom.

"Malfoy are you even listening to me?" Hermione hissed.

"Just an old Shooting Star, it will be incredibly slow. Nothing like my Nimbus," said Draco proudly, looking for a second broom.

"Ugh! You are so frustrating sometimes!" said Hermione, sitting down grumpily as he moved further into the pile of junk.

"Granger, I honestly don't know what to say to you. It is the _only way_ we're getting out of here," said Draco, looking at her in amusement. Hermione found it incredibly annoying, how he seemed to ignore everyone else's fears and act so uncaring. Yet, she was sympathetic towards him when he was obviously scared of helping them defeat Voldemort.

"I know that. But I'm not flying a broom on my own. Not only am I scared of it, I haven't actually _done_ it in six years – how do you expect me to suddenly jump on like all you Quidditch guys and just keep up without getting myself killed?" demanded Hermione, still reluctantly sitting on the ground. He seemed to have found something else, and was digging through the junk.

"I dunno what you're suggesting," he called over his shoulder, clearly uninterested in what she had said. "Yes! A Nimbus!"

"My God," Hermione muttered, shaking her head.

"You can go on the Nimbus, that'll be faster so you can catch up," said Draco with a wink, walking back towards her with the brooms. She simply glared up at him from where she was sitting.

"I'm – not – flying – by – my – self," said Hermione, pronouncing each word with emphasise. Draco sighed.

"If I go on the Nimbus, I'll end up having an accident. The only way we're escaping this place is if we're both on one broom," she continued firmly, crossing her arms. They made eye contact, staring at each other for a few moments.

"You're not going to change your mind, are you?" asked Draco.

"No."

"Fine then, we'll both go on the Nimbus," he said reluctantly, putting the Shooting Star down. Hermione stood up at that to go get the bag, but he noticed that she was still incredibly nervous. Draco had to admit – he did feel sorry for her. But it was the only way they could escape, and he couldn't sugar-coat it. Hermione returned a few moments later with the bag, looking a little bit pale.

"You'd want to get a jumper on over your singlet – it's going to be cold out there," Draco warned, and she nodded, getting him a jumper as well. Once they were warm, they got their wands out and prepared to leave at a run. If anyone was guarding the exit, they would have to fight their way out. But the Room of Requirement usually changed the exit to benefit the user – like it did for Dumbledore's Army so they could sneak past Filch in the night. The Room did the same for Hermione and Draco, because when the burst out of the room looking left and right, no one was there. But they heard talking from just down the corridor, so they sneaked the opposite direction. There was a large window directly ahead, like a beacon of light and freedom. Draco was looking at it, his eyes sharp and calculating.

"No, no way," whispered Hermione, shaking her head - she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"We'll have to fly through it, Granger. We don't have time to find a balcony or something to fly off-" hissed Draco, preparing himself. The talking stopped, and they heard footsteps from the corridor behind them.

"Now! Start running and jump on the broom!" urged Draco, beginning to run. Hermione followed, but with absolute reluctance. It seemed like an impossible plan to fly in a corridor, through a window and live.

"Is that them? It is, get them!" shouted a voice from behind them. Right at the last moment, Draco grabbed Hermione around the waist and lifted her onto the broom – causing her to squeal and hold on desperately. He jumped on behind her and kicked off, boosting towards the window which got larger and larger with every terrifying heartbeat.

"_Reducto_!" shouted Draco, blasting apart both the window and the wall around it – creating a big hole in the middle of the tower. And a second later, they'd flown through the rubble and were out in the clear sky. Red flashes followed them out into the sky, but Draco had already turned and was shooting like a bullet from the castle.

"Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe you did that to me-" Hermione was saying, her eyes tight shut. She didn't want to look down to see where they were. Draco was sitting behind her, his hands right behind hers – her knuckles were white and he could feel her entire body shaking.

"Granger, open your eyes. Nothing terrifying is happening, we're just flying," said Draco, smirking at how scared she was. He heard an ear-splitting scream, and guessed that she must have opened her eyes.

"Well, we are kind of high," he continued guiltily, looking down.

"Go lower!" said Hermione frantically. He dipped the handle-bars and boosted towards the earth, causing her to scream and lean backwards into him. The broom levelled out again, and they were pressed firmly together.

"I know you want to get close, Granger, but don't lean too far back or I might fall off," said Draco sarcastically.

"I hate you," Hermione groaned.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The flying eventually became more and more calm, as they flew in amongst the clouds to avoid being seen. Hermione had gotten used to it, and was marvelling at the steadiness of a broom – it was much more relaxing than a Hippogriff or Thestral. After seeing a Seeker play in a game of Quidditch, she promised herself she would never get on a broom with someone like Harry or Draco. Their level of trust in each other grew – he did his best to fly slowly and steadily, and she could tell. He wasn't purposefully doing scary and bizarre summersaults and tricks, like she expected him to.

"Do you think Harry and Ron are okay? Do you think they escaped as well?" asked Hermione anxiously. Once again she was separated from her two best friends, only this time they might have been the ones who got captured.

"I don't really care," Draco snorted in reply, making her turn around and glare at him. "But they most likely did. They went a different way to us, and the Carrow's were after us the entire time, remember?"

"Yeah. I hope you're right," said Hermione, turning to face the front.

"Granger, you really need a haircut," said Draco from behind her, trying to see where he was going. Her hair was flying behind her rapidly in the wind, and she turned to look over her shoulder again. As she did so, she made eye contact with Draco and saw that her hair was whipping him in the face slightly. Hermione burst out laughing, facing forwards again in embarrassment. Draco shook his head, a smile forming on his lips as he tried to concentrate on flying.

"I can hold the broom while you get a hairclip out of my bag," said Hermione calmly. He slowly let go, and the broom wobbled a bit as Hermione took control, but she kept it steady enough.

"I'm trusting you, Granger..." said Draco with a smirk. They both remembered the time when Hermione had said that while giving him his wand back, and how cautious she was. She laughed slightly, but then stopped as the broom started wobbling again - it took almost all of her concentration just to fly in a straight line. It amazed her how people like Draco could do back-flips and fly upside down without even using their arms, (which he'd done in a match against Harry to show off). Draco held on with his thighs and feet, which were pressed against the brooms foot-pegs. Years of practice made flying a broom without holding on feel natural. And since Hermione was leaning back into Draco, she just had her feet on his and held on. He searched the bag, and it took nearly two whole minutes to find a hairclip because of everything else inside.

"Here," said Draco, holding it out in front of her. Her hands were frozen to the broom, however – she hadn't moved an inch since they started flying. This was probably due to the fact that they'd been flying in freezing cold clouds since they escaped.

"Um, can you do it?" asked Hermione shyly. Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't mind helping. He gently wove his hands through her hair, and pulled it into a long ponytail to stop it from whipping him in the face. Then he awkwardly tried to use the hairclip.

"I dunno how girls do this so fast," he said in annoyance. Hermione giggled and gave him some tips, and a moment later he'd got it right. He moved the ponytail over her shoulder and onto her chest so that it wouldn't blow backwards, and then held onto the broom again.

"Thanks. My hands are so cold," said Hermione with a groan.

"Yeah, that's why in Quidditch gloves are used – can you move them?" asked Draco, poking her arm with a smirk.

"No, they're like frozen," Hermione replied, ignoring his poke and holding in a smile.

"Well, you've got to warm them up," said Draco, placing his hands over hers. She looked over her shoulder, a nervous smile forming on her lips.

"Thanks," said Hermione cheerfully as she looked forwards again. And so the flight went on, both of them sitting very close on the broom and Hermione telling him which direction to fly in to reach The Burrow. Without friends watching, without Order members and pureblood Death Eaters watching, without any 'Gryffindor versus Slytherin' or mudblood stereotypes, without fighting and war around them, they could be themselves. They didn't say anything, but it was clear then that a friendship was emerging.

* * *

After at least a few hours of flying, they finally reached where The Burrow was. Hermione had almost fallen asleep during the flight, and it was nearly night-time when they arrived. Stars were forming in the late-afternoon sky, and they were both hungry and glad to reach their destination. Though they couldn't see The Burrow at first, they saw the Lovegood's house and the giant hill, so they knew that they were in the right spot. They landed on the hill slowly, and The Burrow magically materialised in front of them - all of the lights were on, lighting up the area. Hermione's hands were gripping the broomstick tightly, and she looked relieved at being on flat ground.

"Need help getting off? Some people's hands can get locked or frozen into position," said Draco, looking at her small, gripping white hands. She slowly took one off, her hand cracking slightly. Draco smirked and cast a Hot-Air charm on her hands to help warm them up. Once warm enough, Hermione slowly let go of the broom and flexed her hands painfully. Looking towards The Burrow, she glimpsed three figures running towards them. Draco put the racing broom over his shoulder and followed Hermione down the hill to meet the running figures – which turned out to be Harry, Ron and Tonks.

"Thank god you made it Hermione! We apparated out like you said, expecting you to be here-" said Ron, hugging her affectionately. Draco watched on, a flicker of jealously mixing with the clear dislike. He was jealous again – the Weasel could hug her in front of everyone, they were all friends, they knew which side they were on. No-one cared that he had lived and returned to The Burrow – he didn't really expect them to. But it was natural human instinct to want to belong, and he clearly didn't. Even Tonks gave him a dirty look, though he'd never met her – which startled him slightly. As they began walking back to the house, oblivious of him, he sat down on the hillside next to his broom instead of following. Filled with gloom and feeling rather upset, he tried to figure out why he felt that way. And then he knew, as Hermione turned around to look at him. It was her. It had always been her – if not for her, he would be back at Malfoy Manor. He'd be being ordered around by Voldemort, torturing innocent people, or still locked in the cellar. Or he would be in the room of The Burrow, not giving a damn about the Order. But here he was – giving a damn. She looked at him for a moment or two, but Harry tugged on her arm and they entered the house.

"What are you doing?" Draco muttered aloud to himself, shaking his head. He shouldn't have been so nice to her, he shouldn't have let himself like her so much. It was obvious that Ron liked her, and she wouldn't reject him – he was her best friend. He stayed out on the hillside, dreading going inside more and more as the minutes ticked by. Then he saw a figure leave and walk towards him – it was Tonks. He squinted at her hair – it was purple, and it shifted colours slightly.

"I know why you're here. Hermione's told me a lot about you," said Tonks, glaring down at him. He looked up at her with a confused expression.

"Tonks, is it? I don't know you, and to be honest I don't give a damn what you have to say-" began Draco nastily.

"You know, I was the one who found Harry with a broken nose on the train in his sixth year! You are a dangerous and cowardly-" Tonks burst out suddenly, putting her hands on her hips angrily.

"Don't talk to me like you know me!" shouted Draco, standing up and glaring her in the eyes.

"Oh I know you, _Death Eater_-" Tonks continued unwaveringly as she glared back.

"Potter snuck into my compartment wearing his Invisibility cloak - he's the coward, not me. Later that year he sliced me open with-" Draco began to say in frustration.

"He didn't know what that spell would do and that was revenge for breaking his nose-" Tonks interrupted.

"I don't give a shit; he deserved it for sneaking up on me, for all we know he was probably planning to break my nose! What I did was self defence, now get out of my way," said Draco firmly, grabbing his broom and walking towards the house.

"I'm going to warn you, only once. You better not hurt Hermione in any way, or I'll come looking for you," said Tonks coldly, watching him walk away. As he walked through the door into the house, he saw Lupin watching him suspiciously – obviously Tonks had told her husband she was going to speak to the '_Death Eater_'. He glared at Lupin, hating everything and everyone in the house. Hermione saw him and smiled, but he kept walking, jumping up the stairs two at a time until he reached the third floor. He felt bad for walking past her like that, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Once inside his room he slammed the door shut and leaned against it. He was angry at Tonks for being so... prejudiced. Just because he was labelled a Death Eater, she automatically assumed he was some sort of evil murderer. But he suddenly realized that what he was feeling, was the same feeling Hermione had at Hogwarts. Draco had always labelled her as a mudblood and treated her that way. He was suddenly angry at himself for how he acted at Hogwarts, as well as Tonks.

"Malfoy... can I come in?" came Hermione's voice from the other side of the door. She knocked softly at the same time. Draco sighed, thinking.

"Why?" he asked.

"I want to talk. And I've got something to show you," she said patiently, despite the fact that he was clearly in a bad mood.

"Come back later-" Draco muttered.

"No," said Hermione forcefully. He opened the door in annoyance, glaring at her slightly.

"What is-" he began to say.

"Why are you angry at me for something I haven't done?" demanded Hermione, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not angry at you - it's that bloody Tonks bitc-" Draco spat, walking away from the door.

"She is _not_ a bitch, Malfoy. She just doesn't understand you, and she's right - you did break Harry's nose-" said Hermione, shrugging slightly.

"You sound just like her! Always defending him, as if he's been through more than everyone else!" shouted Draco, his temper flaring.

"That's because he has, Malfoy, his parents are dead-" Hermione said exasperatedly, walking in and closing the door so people downstairs wouldn't hear.

"He was a baby when it happened! He hasn't been forced to torture people, he hasn't been ordered to kill people, he hasn't watched his father get sent to Azkaban! I _lived_ with Bellatrix and the Dark Lord up close and personal, don't act like you understand me Granger!" shouted Draco at the top of his lungs. After he said it, he dropped onto the bed with his face in his hands. Hermione was momentarily frozen in shock, as she began to realize the suffering Draco really had been through. She hesitantly sat down beside him, not knowing what to do.

"Gosh Malfoy, I'm sorry - I feel terrible, look at me," said Hermione softly, touching his hand gently. He looked up, his eyes watering slightly.

"I just wish none of this had ever happened," said Draco quietly, looking down and wiping his eyes, "it's funny, at Hogwarts I was the popular pureblood kid who thought he had everything. Now I've got nothing."

Hermione felt even worse when he said that. He truly had lost nearly everything - no doubt whatever wealth his father had was gone, after the war his father would definitely either be dead or in Azkaban. His mother was at the mercy of Bellatrix and Voldemort - due to Draco escaping, she too might be dead. He had no friends, no money, and a very bad reputation. Hermione took a deep breath and squeezed his hand.

"Listen to me, Malfoy. Harry and Ron got the Elder Wand - I have it here right now. Take your anger out on the one who caused all of this - you're with the Order now, and we're going to stop You-Know-Who," said Hermione, holding the legendary wand out to Draco. It was long, and had spiral-like circles along it. Draco looked at it with a rather scared expression. But Hermione could see a burning desire in his eyes – a desire for revenge, a desire to have his parents and his life back. Draco remembered getting his first wand in his first year, just like every other Hogwarts student did. His wand had glowed and shot sparks when he first touched it, and he remembered how excited he was - an eleven year old, finally learning magic. The Elder Wand was a much more powerful version of his first wand. He lifted a shaking hand, and slowly gripped the hilt of the wand - and then silence. While they were both expecting something extraordinary to happen, the wand merely glowed a bit and that was it. Hermione looked disappointed, and Draco seemed to sigh a breath of relief.

"Why didn't anything happen?" asked Hermione urgently.

"No idea. Someone must have disarmed me or something, like I disarmed Dumbledore..." replied Draco, holding the wand up closer to his eyes.

"Do you feel anything?" asked Hermione curiously this time, determined to figure out what went wrong.

"Not really. It feels better than my old wand, but nothing special," replied Draco again, giving it back to her.

"There's only one way to find out who the 'master' of the wand is. We'll have to pass it around," Hermione thought aloud, looking rather excited at the idea of seeing who had obtained the wands power. Draco had several ideas on who it could be, but he kept them to himself.

* * *

The next day, the four of them were sitting out in the garden together to discuss what was going to happen next. Hermione explained how Draco had destroyed a horcrux - Ravenclaw's Diadem - and so that meant that there was only Hufflepuff's cup left, and two other unknown objects. They sat there for ages wondering aloud what else Voldemort may have turned into a horcrux. It was impossible for them to guess though, because none of them knew Voldemort well enough.

"The snake," said Draco suddenly, making the other three turn to him.

"What about it?" asked Harry urgently.

"He keeps it - Nagini, it's called - with him at all times. I mean literally, _at all times_. It's more than just his pet, it's his personal bodyguard and friend," explained Draco darkly. The other three listened in fascination, and Harry realized that having someone like Malfoy around was actually a very good idea. He knew more than anyone else about how things worked with the Death Eaters and how Voldemort acted in private. Draco said 'friend' because Voldemort talked to it in parselmouth.

"So we need to destroy the cup, the snake and something else. Then we can kill him," muttered Harry aloud, scratching his chin and thinking. They heard lots of movement and talking from inside the house.

"I think they're preparing for something. When Kingsley, Lupin and Mr Weasley heard about the Elder Wand they began arguing over what to do next," said Hermione worriedly. Word had spread that Draco did not have the power of the wand, so the true master remained unknown. At the next Order meeting however, they were going to pass it around to everyone present, and have Mr Ollivander inspect it. When the master was found, the Order would decide what to do next in terms of the war. But Kingsley and Lupin agreed that they had to act fast.

"Harry, Hermione, Ron! Come on!" came Mrs Weasley's voice from inside The Burrow. Draco rolled his eyes - of course his name wasn't called, he wasn't part of their little meetings. But Hermione indicated for him to follow her, so he got up with the rest of them.

"They didn't say his name-" Harry warned.

"Malfoy. There, I said his name-" snapped Hermione, walking to the front door of the house.

"He's not apart of this Hermione-" continued Harry angrily.

"Wherever the Dark Lord is, my parents are. So if you're planning on killing or capturing him, you'll kill or capture my parents too. So I'm part of this Potter, whether you like it or not," said Draco as he pushed past all three of them and entered the house. Hermione followed him into the house without saying anything, leaving the other two Gryffindor's outside. Harry looked absolutely furious.

"I don't like it either mate, but he's got a point," shrugged Ron reluctantly.

"I never got a chance to save my parents, why should he get that chance? His parents are Death Eaters, they actually deserve to die!" Harry hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

"The only person who deserves to die is You-Know-Who," said Ron as he gripped Harry's shoulder to make sure he understood. The message was clear - the most important thing was to end the war and stop the wizard responsible. No-one else needed to die. Harry took a deep breath and nodded as they walked into the house.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	14. Chapter 14

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

It took a few minutes for everyone to settle down in the meeting room - they were all sitting down at a long table, and it seemed almost like Malfoy Manor. The only difference was everyone here were friends and family (apart from Draco), the room was bright and full of energy. There were thirteen people present: Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ron, Mr Weasley, Kingsley, Fred and George, Bill and Fleur, Lupin and Tonks and Mr Ollivander. Deep down everyone realized that the numbers were no-where near as numerous as they should have been. There were many excellent people missing - Harry's parents, Dumbledore, Sirius and Mad-Eye were just five examples. Mrs Weasley knew about the plan, but she wasn't part of it - she would be guarding The Burrow and awaiting their arrival. They also needed a nurse of sorts in-case something went wrong, and Mrs Weasley was the best with healing spells. Hagrid couldn't be there as he was out in the mountains - trying to stop Voldemort from recruiting giants. But they had to act fast, regardless of how many people were there to help.

"Only the people in this room can know about this, and this must be kept secret – told to no one else, not even other Order members. We cannot risk the Death Eaters or You-Know-Who finding out our plan, otherwise it will be ruined, understood?" said Mr Weasley, who was standing at the head of the table. Everyone nodded, and Hermione spoke next. It was obvious that she had been helping with whatever 'plan' they had thought of.

"So, we have the fabled 'Elder Wand', which I'm sure everyone has heard of. It was also Dumbledore's wand, and Ollivander is going to explain its significance and why it will help us," said Hermione, indicating for Ollivander to speak. He looked much more healthy and well-nourished after being at The Burrow for a few days, and he was holding the Elder Wand up for everyone to see.

"This wand is very old and very powerful, as the legends say. And yes - Dumbledore did have it. The power of the wand can move from person to person in many different ways, such as by disarming or killing the current owner. That is why the wand has left a trail of bloodshed through history. In our case, Dumbledore was the owner of the wand and Severus Snape killed him. But it was Mr Malfoy who had disarmed Dumbledore, surprisingly - and it was Mr Malfoy who gained the Elder Wands power, without realizing it," said Mr Ollivander wisely, looking at Draco. No-one looked pleased with Draco at all, in fact he received glares from everyone in the room except Hermione. He ignored all of this and looked at Ollivander, waiting for him to continue.

"However, Malfoy has already held and tested the wand, without anything happening. He has recently been disarmed, no doubt by someone in the Order - just like he had disarmed Dumbledore. If you disarm the owner of the wand, you receive the power of the wand - regardless of the situation. So, I would like everyone to hold the wand-"

"It-it was me," said a startled voice from the other end of the table. Everyone's heads turned to see - Lupin. Tonks gasped aloud.

"When Malfoy first arrived here I disarmed him and took his wand before he came in," explained Lupin.

"Well, lets see?" suggested Ollivander, smiling and holding the wand up. Everyone watched anxiously as Lupin cast a worried glance at Tonks and walked to the other end of the table. Draco knew all along that it would be Lupin, and was watching in apprehension as the werewolf finally reached Ollivander. Deep down he desperately wanted Lupin to be the owner, not him. Deep down he desperately wanted no part in the fighting, he only wanted what he'd joined the Order for - the war to end, and his parents to be alive. Lupin extended his arm slowly, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath. And then it happened - an explosion of magical sparks lit up the entire room, blinding everyone momentarily. The sparks showered down to the ground in all different colours, leaving Lupin standing with a shocked expression and the most powerful wand in existence in his hand.

"Well, that mystery is solved. Remus my friend, the wand is yours," announced Ollivander cheerfully. Everyone burst into applause, and the mood changed significantly - Hermione noticed that even Draco was smiling, although she couldn't figure out why. But to Draco, he was smiling because he knew that Lupin wouldn't kill anyone he didn't have to. Lupin held no grudges against Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, and maybe - just maybe there was a chance things would turn out good after all.

"That's only the start, there's much more we need to cover!" Hermione called over the clapping, to get everyone's attention again. Lupin sat down next to Tonks, handing her the wand with a grim smile. He turned and made eye contact with Draco, and they both seemed to understand each other - Lupin just received one of the biggest responsibilities of the war. Lupin was the one who would have to face Voldemort with Harry, and he knew that. He nodded to Draco curtly. Hermione then held up a small gold coin, and continued with the plan.

"We also have these coins I made in my fifth year. When one person rubs their coin, the other coins connected to it burn hot – they're used to pass messages. This part of the plan is crucial and it requires courage and sacrifice. Someone here must volunteer to be captured by the Death Eaters, and taken to Malfoy Manor. There, they will be thrown into the cellar like I was. As soon as You-Know-Who enters the house, the person is to rub their coin immediately – so that the Order is informed," Hermione explained, emptying a purse of gold coins onto the table – they were all identical. Everyone stared at the coins and waited for the next phase in the plan.

"Then everyone else apparates around the outside of the Manor, and casts anti-apparition and other enchantments, so that escape is impossible," said Kingsley on the spot.

"The same spells they put on the cellar?" asked Hermione. Kingsley nodded.

"Then we enter the building from all directions in pairs. Our goal is to disarm and stun every Death Eater in the building – including You-Know-Who. Although, it is important that the only people to approach You-Know-Who is Remus and Harry," said Kingsley, looking from Lupin to Harry, who both looked pale with the sudden duty that they had.

"Hermione and Malfoy have told us - and I believe it too - that there are not many Death Eaters at the Manor, since most of them are at Hogsmeade, the Ministry and Hogwarts. With our enchantments on the building, no one will be able to apparate _in_ either, so re-enforcements won't be possible for You-Know-Who," said Mr Weasley to reassure everyone. It seemed like a very straightforward plan – but the risk of people being injured or killed was very high.

"Why are we doing this now? Why can't we wait?" asked Fleur in her french accent. She looked uncertain and seemed to ask the same question that everyone else was thinking.

"Because we've been fighting You-Know-Who and trying to build an army for over a year now. This is the only army we have left," said Kingsley in a brutally honest voice. Everyone knew he was right.

"With the Elder Wand we have a weapon, with Malfoy we have information on every entrance into the Manor, information on every Death Eater and their whereabouts. And the element of surprise. This is our best chance - the longer we wait, the stronger You-Know-Who gets," Kingsley continued.

"Since someone needs to volunteer to be captured and held prisoner for this plan to work - I'm willing to do that," said Ollivander courageously. Hermione and Draco were incredibly surprised – after two years of being prisoner, he was prepared to go back so that Voldemort could be defeated. Everyone thanked him and wished him luck. It also made sense for Ollivander to be caught, since Voldemort needed the wand-maker the most. Ollivander knew that as soon as he was locked up again, Voldemort would be summoned to the Manor immediately - it was perfect for the plan.

"What are the pairs going to be when we do it?" asked Fred curiously, glaring at Draco with dislike. It was clear that no-one wanted to be with the former Death Eater, and it was obvious that no-one fully trusted him yet. Kingsley already had the pairs written down, and he took a deep breath.

"The pairs will be: Harry and Remus, Ron and Hermione, Fred and George, Bill and Mr Weasley, Tonks and myself," announced Kingsley. There were some puzzled expressions around the table - it made sense that Tonks would have to go with Kingsley, since Remus and Harry had to be a pair. But Fleur and Draco were completely left out.

"_Excusez-moi!_ I am going with Bill, no matter what!" declared Fleur angrily, holding her husbands hand tightly.

"I'm going by myself, I don't give a damn about the pairs," spat Draco from doorway where he'd been standing the entire time. Kingsley sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Everyone has to make sacrifices, this is just the way it needs to be-" he continued, but it was useless. Everyone knew why Kingsley had decided to leave them out, though - Draco was a former Death Eater and he couldn't be trusted. His parents were at the Manor, so he wouldn't be fighting anyway, and he could turn on them at any moment. He would have to be kept at The Burrow with Mrs Weasley, which he openly refused to do. Fleur wasn't the best at duelling, and if she went then someone wouldn't have a partner. But Fleur was absolutely adamant that she would be with Bill, regardless of how dangerous it was. Arguments started and Bill agreed with Fleur, then Mr Weasley agreed with Bill and things got completely out of hand.

"I'll go by myself Kingsley. Let Fleur be with Bill," said Mr Weasley.

"It's too dangerous Arthur! That Manor is massive, we're in pairs for a reason. If you're alone you'll get outnumbered and killed without anyone hearing you," growled Kingsley, shaking his head, "it must be done the way I've said it. Everyone must have pairs-"

"If Remus is with Harry, make Tonks stay at The Burrow-" suggested Fred casually.

"I'm an Auror, I'm trained to do this job! Me and Kingsley should be the ones making the decisions!" shouted Tonks angrily.

"As long as I'm with you Fred, we'll be sweet," grinned George, the twins sitting back and relaxing as the entire room erupted in shouting. The shouting and arguing seemed to go on loudly for a few seconds, as there was no real leader in the room. Without Dumbledore, the 'leader' responsibilities was shared between Mr Weasley, Lupin and Kingsley.

"_SHUT UP_!" roared Draco at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to stop in mid-sentence.

"The Dark Lord took my fathers wand and my mother is innocent. My parents are stuck there and I'm going to get them back, I don't care about the plan-" he began firmly.

"As long as the Dark Mark is branded on your arm, you're branded as a Death Eater - you can't be trusted!" Kingsley growled, trying to keep order and in control of everyone.

"I'll go without my wand - make me the prisoner, let Ollivander stay here!" shouted Draco furiously. Hermione was the next person to join in, although everyone listened to her and she didn't have to shout.

"Malfoy stop - if you were the prisoner, they would just kill you. Ollivander is the most suitable prisoner, he's already volunteered and You-Know-Who needs him," said Hermione calmly.

"If what you say is true, your parents should surrender freely - they won't be involved," said Kingsley reasonably.

"They'll be cursed on sight just for being Death Eaters and you know it!" accused Draco, glaring hatefully at Kingsley.

"Good, they should be sent to Azkaban afterwards as well - its what they deserve, like every other Death Eater," said Harry coldly. The room went quiet as heads turned from Draco to Harry and back again.

"You'll pay for that, Potter," spat Draco, looking beside himself with rage. Before Hermione or anyone else could say anything, both of them reached for their wands.

"_Crucio_-!" screamed Draco.

"_Sectumsempra_!" gasped Harry at the same time, or maybe a millisecond faster. It was impossible to tell who cast their curse first, because it happened at the same time and no-one could see it coming. But regardless, Harry was sent flying up and out of his chair - smashing into the wall and writhing on the ground in pain. The entire room seemed to shake - it was obvious that the Cruciatus curse was ridiculously powerful. All eyes were on Draco, however. After he'd cast his curse his arm went limp and his shirt seemed to soak with blood. Both wizards had successfully hit their mark.

"_No! _Someone get Mrs Weasley, hurry!" Hermione yelled urgently as she jumped out of her chair towards Draco - but his legs had already given way and he slid to the ground against the wall. Everyone was frozen in shock - everything had happened in the blink of an eye. Lupin acted quickly and helped Hermione lift Draco and carry him into the living room while someone called for Mrs Weasley, who was in the kitchen making dinner. Ron and Tonks tried to help Harry up, but he was still in excruciating pain from the curse. Once the realization of what had happened set in, everyone began moving again.

"Hermione I need you to keep pressure on the cut-" Lupin was saying rapidly as they placed Draco on the living room couch.

"It's not a cut - it's a twelve-inch gash Remus-" Hermione sobbed slightly as she began to panic.

"Just calm down and keep pressure on it-" Lupin continued as sweat appeared on his forehead. Mrs Weasley appeared moments later, immediately taking action. She pushed the other two out of the way and tore the shirt open to reveal the gory wound that Harry had caused. Everyone watched in horror as she began casting all sorts of advanced healing and medical spells. Thankfully she was prepared - when George had lost his ear from the curse, Mrs Weasley had researched as many spells that would help prevent it. The deep gash seemed to stop bleeding, but it wasn't completely healed. No matter how much Mrs Weasley tried, she couldn't fix it.

"Molly, you've done all you can. It isn't a wound, it's a curse. Only Severus knows how to fix it," murmured Lupin grimly, laying his hand on Mrs Weasley's shoulder.

"What kind of man would invent such a spell?" said Mrs Weasley darkly as she began bandaging the wound. There was silence as Harry entered the living room with Tonks and Ron.

"What kind of man would _use_ such a spell!" Hermione hissed as she glared at Harry.

"Hermione he tried to attack me-" said Harry defensively.

"Last year you promised me you'd never use that spell! '_Not even on Malfoy_,' were your exact words!" Hermione nearly screamed, her expression furious.

"And what if he'd used it on me?"

"He didn't use it, he used _Crucio_! I can't believe what you've done-"

"I wasn't thinking straight, it was self defence-"

"You knew exactly what you were doing Harry, don't lie-"

"Quiet..." came a long, drawn out voice from the lounge. Everyone looked down at Draco. His chest was still being bandaged up and the bleeding had almost stopped, thanks to Mrs Weasley. He was lying flat on his back and didn't dare try to move - instead his eyes were open and staring directly at the roof as he spoke.

"Granger - get the Essence of Dittany... Lupin, Potter - get Snape as soon as possible..." murmured Draco.

* * *

The mood had changed significantly for everyone in only twenty minutes time. Lupin and Kingsley were standing out in the garden, trying to decide what to do. It was late afternoon and they could smell dinner from inside The Burrow being cooked. The plan to take Voldemort down was originally meant to be the next day – or sometime that week. But due to Draco being severely injured and the only person able to save him being Snape, this forced the Order to act faster.

"Kingsley, we have to go tonight. It can't wait," urged Lupin.

"Remus the plan was tomorrow-"

"Malfoy won't last until tomorrow afternoon, not even with the Dittany," Lupin interrupted grimly. Kingsley looked at him in surprise.

"You're sure?"

"I'm certain. Dittany is meant for physical wounds, but it won't heal a curse like that. Trust me, Severus is the only one who knows how to heal it," answered Lupin, looking at the Auror beside him. They both knew that they couldn't just stand around doing nothing. They both knew that the young man inside the house didn't deserve to die - and they didn't want his death on Harry's conscience. Now they had no other choice - they had to act quickly.

"Okay. We do it tonight. Do the Death Eaters still have the Caterwauling charm on Hogsmeade?" asked Kingsley thoughtfully.

"Yes, only after seven," Lupin replied.

"This can work to our advantage... have Ollivander apparate into Hogsmeade tonight. It'll set off the charm, he'll get caught instantly. They'll take him to Malfoy Manor. Then it begins," murmured Kingsley without any fear in his tone. Being an Auror, he was trained and experienced in life-threatening situations and duels. He was prepared for anything.

"Seventeen years we've waited. And it's all going to come down to this night," said Lupin with an anxious sigh as he looked out at the distant hills.

"Are you ready for this, Remus?" asked Kingsley, turning to one of his best friends.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about Harry, worry about Tonks. I'm willing to sacrifice anything to end this tonight, you know that," said Lupin firmly.

"I know. You're a great man, Remus. You always have been," said Kingsley with a sad smile.

"The same to you, Kingsley," replied Lupin, the tiniest hint of emotion in his voice. They shook hands, knowing that it could be the last time they ever do.

* * *

"Blimey George, lucky you only lost your ear eh?" said Fred casually.

"You got that right," grinned George, as they stood on the other side of the living room and watched Draco lying on the lounge. The bandages were soaked with blood. Mrs Weasley's spells were already beginning to wear off. Hermione was sitting beside the lounge anxiously, and they guessed that she was trying to avoid Harry. Everyone heard the argument over him using the curse, and even though George hated Malfoy - he was kind of on Hermione's side. Like Fred said, he lost his ear because of _Sectumsempra_ earlier that year. Seeing Harry use that curse made him feel bad, because Harry just wasn't that type of person.

"Dad says it's happening tonight," continued Fred, his tone of voice changing significantly. George glanced at him.

"Oh. Already?"

"Yeah, already."

"Ah well, lets get it over with then. We'll be back to '_Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_' in no time," said George with a wink, but he had a slightly pained expression and his smile faltered. Fred couldn't even manage to smile - he looked unconvinced, even worried. They were both thinking the same thing, and they knew each other well enough to realize that either of them could die in the next few hours. It's said that to lose a twin is like losing part of yourself - and this was the first time in years that the Weasley twins weren't joking.

"Yeah, I guess. But just in-case, you - you be careful tonight. We're gonna stick together, yeah?" said Fred, turning to his identical twin brother.

"Yeah, we're sticking together - no matter what," said George, nodding slightly as he looked away to hide his face.

"And Ron will - will be with dad, so..." Fred choked slightly, taking a deep breath.

"Ginny's at - Hogwarts-"

"Bill's with - Fleur-"

"Percy - the git - is at the Ministry-"

"Mum's - here-"

"We're-"

"Side by side, mate," finished George, wiping his eyes as he gripped his brothers shoulder, "side by side, till the end."

They stood there thinking about the rest of their family, which was spread so thin and in so much danger. Who know's who could die in the next few hours - Mr Weasley, Ron, Bill or them two, or anyone else. Who knows how Ginny was being treated at Hogwarts by Snape and the Carrow's. Who knows what will happen to Mrs Weasley when she's left alone with Malfoy, would Death Eaters come? Who knows how Percy - even though he's still a git - is being treated at the Ministry, since he's related to the Weasley's. Who knows what it would feel like for Fred if George was murdered in two hours time, or vice versa. No-one knew, and these were the frightening questions on the Weasley twins minds. Luckily no-one was watching, because they were both awkwardly holding back tears.

"We need to brighten up Fred," said George at last, shaking his head.

"Just what I was thinking - where's those fireworks we used on Umbridge-"

"You read my mind - upstairs-"

"Thought so - brilliant-"

"Brilliant, lets light this place up-"

"Brilliant-"

"Definitely."

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	15. Chapter 15

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Hermione pulled a chair over beside the lounge that Draco was lying on, looking at his bandages grimly. She'd already made it obvious that she wasn't going to talk to Harry or Ron, and to make sure of that she decided to stay right beside Draco. There was no way Harry would come anywhere near the Slytherin after what he'd done. Hermione knew that Harry was regretting his actions - he wasn't an evil person at all. But whether what he'd done was by accident or 'self defence' as he said, he still used a terrible curse and she wasn't going to forgive him straight away. If Draco died from this, Harry would never be able to forgive himself, and it truly was his own fault. Draco was silent, which was unusual - wasn't he supposed to be in agonizing pain? Whatever spells Mrs Weasley had used obviously worked. Or maybe he was so quiet because he'd stopped breathing? No-one was watching him, the only other people in the living room were Fred and George and they looked like they were up to something funny or evil - she couldn't tell. If Draco stopped breathing they'd probably just stand there and make jokes about it anyway. Hermione sighed and leaned forwards awkwardly, leaning her ear up against his chest to check if he was-

"I'm breathing, Granger, calm down-"

"Oh! Well you weren't moving or talking," said Hermione in embarrassment, going slightly red as she leaned back.

"That's because I'm slowly dying, thanks to your 'best friend'," replied Draco coldly, opening his eyes.

"Your not the only one who's angry with what he did-" Hermione snapped.

"Whatever. Did you get the Dittany?" Draco interrupted. There was a pause as Hermione glared at him slightly, but she decided to ignore him if he got rude.

"Yes, I've got it here. Do you want me to-?"

"Just give it to me," Draco snapped impatiently, holding out his hand.

"Fine," said Hermione, giving it to him without arguing. He began to one-handedly take off his bandages, obviously planning to use the Dittany on himself.

"Want me to-" offered Hermione quietly.

"No."

There was silence as Hermione willed herself to be patient and not get angry. She knew that Draco was angry at Harry - not just angry, probably murderous. She would have to remind herself to not let them near each other - they both knew dark magic and they absolutely loathed each other. Since Harry wasn't around Draco was probably taking his anger and impatience out on her. A minute or two later and he was still trying to get the bandages off - he finally lost his patience and ripped them off. Hermione gasped slightly and looked away. She heard him taking deep, painful breaths - that obviously hurt.

"You shouldn't have done that-"

"Shut up," Draco growled through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up on his elbows, to Hermione's alarm.

"Malfoy stop you're going to make it worse-"

"I don't need your help Granger, leave-"

"Well you're getting it," snapped Hermione as she snatched the bottle of Dittany from his hands and stood over him. His elbows slipped and he fell back onto his back, his chest moving sharply and the wound searing with pain. Hermione could tell that it was hurting, but she was surprised that he didn't say anything. He just glared at her painfully as she opened the tiny bottle of healing essence and prepared to drop some on the wound. She considered being polite and asking him if he was ready, but instead she just tipped the bottle and let some drop. Steam seemed to rise from the wound and Draco screamed in pain and shock, arching his back. Mrs Weasley rushed back into the room, and Hermione's hand was shaking as she put the bottle back down.

"What on earth did you-?" Mrs Weasley was asking, but the pain had already subsided and Draco was back to normal, breathing heavily. They all looked at the wound to see if it had changed, but it remained the same.

"Why didn't anything happen?" Hermione asked shakily.

"Nothing's meant to happen," panted Draco, lying back and clenching his fists to try and ignore the searing pain that the liquid had caused.

"What do you mean?" Hermione demanded.

"Dittany is meant to be used _after_ - not before - the wound is healed to prevent scaring. Snape told me last year," explained Draco impatiently.

"Then why the hell did you want to put some on now!" Hermione hissed, furious that he hadn't even told her what the Dittany was going to do. She thought that it'd heal the wound just like it did for everything else. But it seemed that Mrs Weasley and Lupin were right - the only way to quickly heal this wound was by using Snape's counter-curse. Hermione couldn't believe that he would risk doing the exact opposite of what Snape had told him the year before, especially when Snape was the only one who understood how the curse worked.

"Because I didn't have a choice!" Draco shouted back.

"Of course you have a choice, Harry _will_ bring Snape back!" she said angrily.

"No he won't-"

"Both of you be quiet! The more you shout, move and put random ingredients on the wound the worse it will become," said Mrs Weasley in a strict tone. It was almost like she was yelling at the Weasley twins for doing something wrong. In fact, Fred and George were still in the room quietly laughing together. Draco and Hermione glared at them.

"Whether you like it or not, your life is in my hands," continued Mrs Weasley to Draco as she pulled her wand out to repeat the healing spells.

"Whether you like it or not, your spells can't heal me. Without Snape I'm dead, and all of this will be for nothing," replied Draco with equal strictness. Hermione stayed quiet as she watched the witch and wizard in front of her glare at each other. Once again, she couldn't believe how rude and reckless Draco could be. Mrs Weasley looked on the verge of putting her wand away and letting him bleed to death. But she took a deep breath and looked down at him.

"My spells can't heal you, but they can reduce the pain and bleeding, which will keep you alive for longer. Do you want my help or not?" she asked in a deathly quiet voice. Hermione could almost read Draco's thoughts - he was torn between being snide and rude as usual, or swallowing his pride and admitting that he wanted a Weasley's help. She also noticed that the more pain he was in or the more weaknesses he revealed, the more stubborn and rude he became. After a few seconds he just nodded silently and looked away.

"Is that a yes-"

"Yes, _please_," snarled Draco, emphasising the word '_please_' sarcastically at her. At that, Mrs Weasley silently began doing the healing spells all over again. Once she'd finished, she began to remove the remaining bandages to replace them as well, since they were covered in blood.

"I can do that, Mrs Weasley," offered Hermione politely.

"Thank you, Hermione dear. The spare bandages are in the cupboard down the hall," said Mrs Weasley stiffly - she was obviously in a bad mood because of Draco, but didn't say anything else. She simply went back into the kitchen to continue cooking again.

"Small slimey Slytherin's got some balls-"

"You know what they say-"

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you-"

"Or keeps you alive," finished Fred, or George - the only way to tell was by checking their ears now. Had it been a year ago Hermione would never have been able to tell them apart, and when they finished each other's sentences like that it made it even harder. When they'd finished talking, Draco simply glared at them without saying anything and they just grinned back.

"Hey Fred and George, what's up?" asked Hermione curiously, since Draco wasn't going to reply and she didn't exactly want him to.

"We decided to come over and congratulate him-"

"Had we talked to mum like that she would've cursed us-"

"Speaking of curses, you'd better watch out-"

"We've got a firework show prepared for later tonight," finished George that time, with a malicious grin. Hermione frowned.

"What on earth do curses have to do with your fireworks?" she asked in confusion.

"Never you mind," replied Fred with a wink, before they slipped upstairs to their room. Once they were gone, Draco and Hermione were left alone at last. The bandages were still on him and his open gory wound was still there, so Hermione set to work on removing the old bandages in silence. Draco's glare seemed to have been replaced with a neutral, pained expression from his chest. If he was to be honest, Fred and George would be the only Weasley's he could tolerate to an extent. At least they were pranksters, had a sense of humour, a joke shop and were richer than the rest of their family. And the Weasley's _were_ purebloods, which made them more acceptable in 'magical society'. That was probably the only reason their shop hadn't been sabotaged yet - from what Draco could remember, it was one of the only shops still open in Diagon Alley. And they were decent at Quidditch. The rest of the Weasley family, on the other hand, were complete... well, maybe not Bill. He was married to the pureblood french girl, Fleur. And the other brother worked at the Ministry. And Mrs Weasley _was_ keeping him alive. 'Damn it,' Draco thought to himself - why on earth was he bothering to judge the Weasley family? It wasn't like he liked them - they were all the same, just like Ron. Just blood traitors who couldn't afford to feed themselves. And gits.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Hermione curiously. He hadn't realized she was watching him.

"Nothing," Draco snapped quickly. She shrugged, not bothering to ask any more about it.

"You didn't have to be rude to Mrs Weasley..." she murmured quietly next. Draco didn't reply, but felt her hand brush against his skin as she tried to tug the bandages from underneath him - they had been wrapped completely around his chest and stomach.

"Sorry, can you move up a bit?" asked Hermione, going red slightly after she'd brushed him. He moved up and she pulled the bandages from underneath him. Once she'd finally finished, she got up and went over to get some more from where Mrs Weasley had said. Once she'd returned, Draco still hadn't said a word.

"_Tergeo_... you're not very talkative," Hermione mused, as she cleaned the gash and began re-bandaging it.

"I'm planning how I'm going to kill Potter. First I'll torture him for a while, then maybe-"

"Malfoy please. I know he just cursed you, but remember - he _is_ the one who will end the war. It'll be thanks to Harry when you get your parents back-"

"_If_ I get my parents back, Granger, _IF_," Draco snapped angrily. Before she could reply, he continued, "_If_ he manages to kill the Dark Lord and get my parents back alive, I'll think about sparing his life."

"So you'll be even then? When he does it, you two will be even?" she asked hopefully, with a smile. Draco glanced at her, his eyes narrowing. After a few seconds, he nodded curtly.

"Wow, I can't wait. Will you thank him-?" Hermione continued excitedly.

"No Granger, I won't be _thanking_ anyone. We'll just be even, the end," Draco said impatiently. There was a pause and he seemed to reconsider, "actually-"

"Nope, you can't take that back. _When_ - not if - he beats You-Know-Who and brings your parents back, you two will be even," Hermione announced bossily, and she finished the bandages a moment later.

"Whatever, I'll still hate him whether we're even or not," Draco shrugged carelessly.

"Done! Now don't move or take the bandages off again," ordered Hermione, deciding to ignore what he'd said about hating Harry. There was silence as Hermione stood up and looked down at him expectantly.

"What?" he asked curiously as he looked up at her. She continued looking at him expectantly, her look turning into a glare.

"_What_?" he asked again in annoyance.

"A thank you would have been nice," she said unhappily. Draco snorted in reply as if what she'd said was ridiculous, but this only made her glare worse and she seemed to take on a hurt expression.

"It was just some bandages-!" he said exasperatedly.

"And what if I hadn't done it? How would you have felt calling out for Mrs Weasley's help like a poor little-"

"Alright fine - _thank you_," he sighed, not wanting to hear any more about how it would feel asking for a Weasley's help. Thanking a muggle-born took a bit of pride-swallowing too, though. He felt kind of bad for referring to her as a 'muggle-born' - did she even deserve it? Sure, at Hogwarts she'd been a bossy, know-it-all, bookworm Gryffindor without many friends. But ever since they'd been thrown together at Malfoy Manor, she'd been nothing but nice and... tolerant - despite how he'd treated her in the past. If that wasn't 'noble' and 'pure', then he didn't know what was. He cursed himself silently - he was doing it again, judging them. It didn't matter what she deserved, she was still a muggle-born, just like the Weasley's were still blood traitors.

"No problem," Hermione beamed cheerfully as soon as he'd said it, cutting him out of his thoughts and making him roll his eyes. No doubt she was pleased with a pureblood Slytherin thanking her.

Hermione was actually quite surprised - despite the fact that she'd helped him countless times so far, that was the _first_ time he'd ever actually thanked her for anything. _Ever_. She thanked him at Malfoy Manor just for giving her an apple. But before she could think any more about it, Mr Weasley had walked into the living room and was calling the rest of the Order in. They heard Bill and Fleur apparate from Shell Cottage back to The Burrow outside.

"For anyone that hasn't heard yet, we're going tonight, right after everyone has had something to eat. Ollivander will apparate into Hogsmeade, and we'll wait for his signal. Everyone take a coin now and remember to keep it on you at all times. Ollivander, try not to lose yours," said Mr Weasley, handing the gold coins out for everyone to have one. Ollivander chuckled slightly as he received his, promising that he wouldn't lose it.

"Speaking of losing the coin, what happens if we don't get a signal from old Ollivander?" asked George curiously.

"Shall we just charge in for glory and honour anyway?" suggested Fred as if it were an excellent idea.

"No - we won't be charging anywhere - glory has nothing to do with-" Mr Weasley flustered.

"Just a joke, dad-"

"If we don't get any signal, we can only assume that Ollivander is waiting patiently in the cellar for You-Know-Who to arrive. We cannot go unless we're absolutely certain that You-Know-Who is in the building and unable to escape," explained Kingsley.

"If nothing happens and we're left waiting, we could send Kreacher to get him out?" suggested Harry with a shrug. Kingsley nodded in agreement.

"House elves sure are useful to have around. Good thinking Harry."

"So what are the pairs now? Someone will still need to stay here," said Bill, holding Fleur close beside him. There was clearly no way that they would be separated, that much was obvious. There was an eerie silence as everyone wanted to be apart of this courageous battle to end the war. After a few moments, Hermione sighed from where she was standing beside the lounge.

"I guess I'll just solve everyone's problem and stay here," she volunteered.

"Hermione! It might not be safe here, what if Death Eaters come?" said Ron worriedly. It was obvious that her two best friends not only wanted her to be safe, but also wanted her to be with them when they faced Voldemort. She had always thought that the three of them would be together when it ended - but it just wouldn't happen like that. Not now.

"They won't, Ron. Besides, I'm sure me and Mrs Weasley can handle-"

"And me. Lying on the lounge won't stop me from cursing the first prat who walks through the front door," snapped Draco angrily, surprising everyone. They seemed to forget that he was even in the room, that he had risked his entire family's life to join them. That he'd betrayed his own people just to be cursed and left to bleed in their living room. That the Death Eaters they were going to fight had made his life a living hell since his sixth year. That his own parents were trapped in that building, defenceless and at risk of death. It frustrated him immensely when he was just left out or ignored.

"And Malfoy," Hermione continued, glancing down at him in pleasant surprise.

"Still, wouldn't it be safer with Kingsley or something? I mean-"

"No, Harry, it wouldn't. And even if it was safer going with you, I still wouldn't. Someone has to stay here, to keep the pairs even," said Hermione without looking at him. Draco raised his eyebrows slightly - she didn't sound angry, she instead sounded almost cold. Harry picked up on it as well, and glared.

"Why are you still angry at me-?"

"Don't start arguing, either of you!" growled Kingsley before it could escalate.

"This is fine, Hermione will be safer here and no one else is volunteering. So the pairs are: myself and Harry, Ron and Arthur, Bill and Fleur, Tonks and Fred, Kingsley and George," announced Lupin, but the Weasley twins were already shaking their head and everyone groaned. Obviously Lupin had tried to put both twins with an Auror each, since both Tonks and Kingsley were Auror's. That way it would be more effective, but it was clear that the Weasley twins would never agree to be separated for something so important and dangerous.

"Me and Fred are partners-"

"Me and George are partners-"

"What he said-"

"What he said-" the twins said in perfect sync at exactly the same time. Lupin sighed and nodded, "Fred and George then, and Tonks and Kingsley."

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	16. Chapter 16

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

After asking Draco if he was hungry, Hermione left him on the lounge to join the rest of the Order for dinner. Luna, Dean and Griphook were also eating, although Griphook went to his room with his meal as usual. It seemed that goblins didn't like associating with wizards very much. Even though no one mentioned it, this particular dinner was special. All of the people about to go risk their lives together were sharing their last meal. Okay, that was a bit over the top - it wasn't like anyone was actually going to _die_... were they? Perhaps that's what made the dinner different, or special even. Nobody knew what was going to happen. Despite the fact that Hermione was still incredibly angry at Harry, she sat between her two best friends. If this truly was going to be the end of Voldemort, and if there was a chance of death occurring that night, she belonged next to her best friends before they parted. Everyone ate in anxious quiet, because they were all nervous and there wasn't much to talk about. It seemed that the only thing on everyone's mind was the task at hand. Lupin was discussing defensive magic to anyone who would listen - mostly just Harry. Kingsley was talking about Azkaban and which Death Eaters would be sent there after the war with Tonks. Mr Weasley was talking to Fred and George about their newest muggle tricks at the joke shop. Bill and Fleur were whispering quietly together in what sounded like french - Hermione had no idea that Bill was learning french. But the dinner ended all too soon, and it was already nearing eight o'clock. Once Ollivander was ready, he stood up and put the gold coin deep in his back pocket securely and was prepared to leave. There were many goodbyes, some of which emotional - Luna and Dean hugged the wand-maker tightly for a few moments, their eyes watering slightly. After hearing all the commotion, even Griphook came down to give Ollivander a farewell. The four of them had spent a long period of time together in the Malfoy Manor cellar, and it seemed to have bonded them. Even Draco nodded curtly to him, just the hint of a sad smile ghosting the Slytherin's lips. Hermione had remembered that they were on first-name terms, since Ollivander had spent two years in Draco's cellar. It was strange to see Draco give anyone respect - he only respected Voldemort and other Death Eaters out of fear. No, the only people Hermione had ever seen Draco give genuine respect to was his parents and Snape. Once again, she was surprised by him. Were Slytherin's usually respectful? 'Only to each other,' Hermione thought to herself. She shook her head firmly - she'd worry about Slytherin traits and personalities later. After everyone had wished Ollivander luck, it was time at last. He slowly left The Burrow and walked past the magical protective barriers. With all eyes watching him, he waved briefly before disapparating with a resounding '_crack!_'.

* * *

Waiting. The more they had to wait, the more anxious they became. Sitting around doing nothing had never felt so tiring before. While their bodies weren't moving, their brains were racing and they were completely and utterly alert, prepared for something to happen. Hermione glanced at the clock again. Wow. It had only been fifteen minutes. It felt like fifteen hours. Surely it wouldn't take fifteen minutes for a bunch of Death Eaters to capture an old defenceless wand-maker? Well, they still had to wait for Voldemort to be summoned to Malfoy Manor. Hermione sighed - they'd probably be waiting for well over an hour, she shouldn't get so worked up. Perhaps she should go read-

"Is that the signal?"

"Already? How could he already be-"

"Okay, that's the signal. We've got to be fast, we can't give them time to react," said Kingsley loudly, holding out his gold coin which was burning almost painfully. Everyone hurriedly hugged and said goodbye to each other, before rushing to their partners with trustworthy smiles, nods and hugs. Ron looked pale as he, Harry and Hermione all jumped into a tight hug together. When they broke apart, Hermione kissed them both on the cheek.

"Good-luck, both of you come back safely okay? Remember to use defensive magic, like '_Protego_', and '_Finite incantatum_' is useful to-" began Hermione, trying to remind them of as many things that would help and keep them safe.

"Blimey Hermione, we know how to duel," scoffed Ron.

"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves," grinned Harry, but his grin was half-hearted. He was trying to act casual, but he was about to do what he'd essentially been born to do. Since the day of his birth, his destiny and fate had been decided by a prophecy. It was time to fulfil that prophecy, by either killing Voldemort or dying himself. '_Neither can live while the other survives_'. For some strange reason, it was ringing in his ears. Hermione nodded, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. Instead she just hugged them both a second time, wishing them luck again. The rest of the Order were waiting, so Ron proudly went and stood by his father, and Harry walked towards Lupin. Hermione glanced over at Draco, who had seen the entire thing unfold. She expected some sneer or sarcastic comment about '_The Golden Trio_' saying their emotional goodbyes. But surprisingly, he looked even more anxious than the people leaving. She'd never seen his expression so... serious, even passionate. The Order's lives weren't the only ones on the line. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were at an even higher risk of death - that is, if Voldemort hadn't already murdered them. Another surprise, first respect and now... well, she didn't know what to call it. Anxiety and fear for the safety of his parents? In shorter terms it could be called love, but she just couldn't wrap her head around Draco Malfoy loving anyone but himself. She sighed, turning back to Harry and Ron.

"Everyone ready? Let's move quickly, we've already wasted too much time, we're five minutes late," ordered Kingsley, rushing everyone outside. Harry and Lupin shook hands, a look of determination on both their faces. They would be the ones to face Voldemort himself together. There were some final waves and goodbyes, before everyone stood in a line outside of The Burrow. Hermione, Mrs Weasley, Luna, Dean and Griphook watched from inside the magical barriers. Hermione looked at all their faces: Harry, Lupin, Ron, Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Tonks and Kingsley. And then all of a sudden, their faces vanished from thin air with repeated '_crack, crack, crack!_' sounds that echoed across the hillside. And then she felt very much alone and empty.

* * *

Hermione's previous '_alone and empty_' feeling was filled with another - curiosity. Fred and George were still standing outside the magical barrier, grinning towards them. There was this... fuzzing sound coming from the garden on the other side of the house. What on earth was that? The others standing outside with her had obviously heard it as well, because they were all frowning and turning to look the other way. Luna was dreamily staring at the sky and Griphook was frowning at the ground - it looked so random, Hermione struggled not to laugh at them. And then the sky seemed to explode with a brilliant array of spectacular colours - the sound was like an explosion as well. Hermione had never seen such beautiful and complex fireworks before. Fred and George weren't joking about what they'd said earlier.

"See you soon mum!" they both said in unison, before apparating to Malfoy Manor where the Order was. The fireworks got brighter, more powerful and more colourful as they multiplied and literally ignited the sky with bursting colour. Hermione was grinning from ear to ear - she turned to Mrs Weasley, expecting her to be frowning in disapproval. She never liked the twins inventions, whether they be pranks or fireworks. But even Mrs Weasley was smiling as her eyes glistened with tears slightly.

"I wish I hadn't been so hard on them when they were at Hogwarts. Who would've known they'd grow up to invent such..."

"Beauty?" asked Hermione, turning to the older lady. Mrs Weasley just nodded sadly.

"Well, they might be beautiful now. Just don't try to put them out, otherwise they'll multiply rapidly and get dangerous like they did at Hogwarts," said Hermione with a smile again. She could remember when Professor Umbridge and the other teachers had tried to stop the fireworks in her fifth year. Now she understood why curses had something to do with Fred and George's fireworks. Mrs Weasley laughed slightly, wiping her eyes.

"They were always good at the breaking rules, but I guess that's what made them the Weasley twins."

* * *

Meanwhile all ten of the attacking Order members had successfully apparated just outside of Malfoy Manor. It was very dark and cold, and the skies were pitch black - all of the stars were hidden behind a thick layer of dark clouds. It was impossible to see the person standing right beside you.

"_Lumos..._" someone murmured, making it clearer for everyone to see each other. It was Bill who'd cast the magical light.

"Only one person per pair use _Lumos_. We don't want to draw too much attention to our wand-light as we move in," said Kingsley quietly. He continued.

"Remember to stun and disarm only, work together. Myself, Tonks, Fred and George will go the left side of the manor. Harry, Remus, Arthur, Ron, Bill and Fleur go the right side. We'll break their magical barriers and enter through the side passages Malfoy indicated. Everyone ready?"

There was a shaky, cold silence as the entire group nodded, glancing at each other. The extra pair was going with Harry and Lupin, presumably because if Voldemort was on the right side of the manor, they'd need all the help they could get. Kingsley and Tonks were both Auror's and were more than capable of beating a few un-organized Death Eaters. With some last moment goodbyes and good-lucks, the pairs split up and moved silently around the outside of the house. They'd planned all of this thoroughly before-hand, and when they were in position, they'd formed a circle around the entire mansion. Of course the problem was - the people on the right side couldn't see the others on the left. They were very much alone and on opposite sides of the giant building. All they could do now was rely on the witch or wizard standing beside them.

"Harry, let me do the disarming and stunning, let me take the risks. No matter what, you stay behind me and focus on protecting yourself. Use defensive magic until the time is right, you understand?" murmured Lupin, turning to the young man beside him. Funnily enough, he didn't have to look down any-more. Harry Potter was a seventeen year old, adult wizard, the same height as his father had been. They looked each other square in the eye, and Harry nodded in understanding. Lupin had the Elder Wand, he should be the one taking the hits for them both. When the time was right, Harry would have to finish Voldemort off himself.

"James and Sirius would have been proud, seeing us here together. You're a brilliant wizard, Harry," said Lupin, looking forwards at the manor again. He took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh night air.

"And you're a brilliant teacher, Remus. Thanks for everything," replied Harry, his eyes glinting in determination. He looked to his right, down the circular line to the next pair - Ron and Mr Weasley were standing side by side in the distance, wands at the ready also. For some reason, things just felt right. The timing, the people present, the situation and circumstances. They were going to win. The only disappointment was that Hermione wasn't with him, but at least she was safe at The Burrow with the others. The other disappointment was the very real, very high chance of sudden death occurring when they entered the building. Harry felt the gold coin in his pocket burn mildly. He pulled it from his pocket, and one word was magically etched in the middle. '_Begin_'. It was Kingsley's signal to begin breaking the magical protection on the Manor, and begin casting their own anti-apparition jinxes. The signal to begin the battle, and the signal which told Ollivander that he was moments from being rescued.

"Ready?"

"Ready," answered Harry firmly. Lupin pointed his wand at the building and shot a misty white spell which connected to the invisible barrier that was preventing them from entering. Harry wasn't experienced in magical barriers - it was always Hermione who put up the protective enchantments around the tent. So he stood by and watched as all the older Order members set to work. A loud magical siren went off immediately - it was a Caterwauling charm. But a second later, the protective enchantments vanished and the entire Order rushed forward. Once right outside the side door to the manor, Lupin turned around and cast the powerful anti-apparition jinx. No-one would be escaping or entering from that moment forth. Harry looked to his right again - Ron and Mr Weasley were already inside the manor. Probably already duelling. Then they heard an explosion and he looked up at the roof of the mansion - fireworks were shooting in all directions energetically. The fireworks then strangely formed into a gigantic letter '_W_' like they had in his fifth year at Hogwarts. Fred and George were entering with style in seemed - Harry grinned. Lupin was smiling grimly too, as he nodded to Harry. A moment later, they blasted the side-door open and rushed into the first floor of the mansion.

* * *

The fireworks at The Burrow weren't planning to go out any-time soon, and the other four people had already gone back inside. Hermione hurried inside with a good idea and a bubbly feeling.

"Mrs Weasley, would you be able to save some dinner for Malfoy?" asked Hermione, despite the fact that earlier he said he didn't want any. Mrs Weasley nodded, without even looking at Draco at all.

"I'm not hungry, forget it-"

"If you don't eat you'll only die faster. For now though, you're coming with me," said Hermione cheerfully, almost skipping over to the lounge. Draco rolled his eyes - skipping definitely wasn't a good sign. Whatever made her this happy couldn't be good. Although she looked kind of cute when she was happy, so it wasn't that bad-

"Up, we're going outside," said Hermione, grabbing the blanket that was over him.

"Are you mad? You just said if I didn't eat I'd die faster, and now you're-" Draco argued, deciding to ignore what he'd been thinking earlier.

"You won't regret it, trust me," said Hermione in excitement, "and besides, I'm going out there again even if you don't come."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to leave me here all alone," muttered Draco sarcastically, but he began trying to get up anyway. He was personally sick of just lying on the lounge, doing nothing while he missed his chance to save his parents. He felt mild jolts of pain stir within his chest, since the magic was still trying to reduce the pain. Sudden movements increased pain, however, regardless of the spells. Once he was in a sitting position, Hermione carefully wrapped the blanket over his shoulders and offered him her hand. He looked up at her warily, having no idea what she was up to. What could possibly be making her this happy, and even cause her to help him outside? His curiosity got the better of him, and he held her hand and pushed himself up. His legs went weak and he wobbled a bit, causing Hermione to move closer and hold some of his weight.

"Don't Granger," he muttered, nudging her away gently, "I got this."

"Fine, but don't collapse," she replied in amusement, despite being nudged away. She knew he wouldn't let a mudblood help him walk. He had too much pureblood pride for that.

"I won't," he said in focus, wrapping the blanket around himself tightly - he didn't have a shirt on because of the bandages needing to be replaced - and began to walk forward. His face was scrunched slightly in pain and she could see his stomach muscles underneath the bandages flexed tightly. But he was walking, and that was good enough. She lead the way outside and when the door opened he could hear the sound of fireworks going off. Lots, and lots of fireworks. Exploding. How on earth didn't he hear from inside? Some sort of magic must have been preventing the sound. They walked out into the garden and he looked up into the sky, fascination crossing his face. It didn't even look like it was night-time - the sky was simply a blur of magnificent fireworks. They still seemed to be multiplying. A slow smile formed on his lips, without him even realizing it. Hermione looked up at him and was surprised to see it - it was rare to see him genuinely smiling at anything. She was almost used to his casual smirk.

"Are these the same ones from our fifth year?" asked Draco curiously. He blinked strangely after he'd said it. '_Our _fifth year'. He felt odd saying it, even though he knew it was true. They were in the same year at school, in the same classes frequently. They had been for six years, it wasn't like they were strangers. They were classmates. Even if they were opposites, in more than one way - they'd been helping each other, and talking freely for the past two weeks. Why on earth did it feel so strange then? He internally sighed - why was he bothering to think so deeply about all of this? It was confusing and irritating. They were classmates, but she was a muggle-born. They'd been helping each other for nearly two weeks, but she was a muggle-born. They should be able to talk normally, but she was a muggle-born. But, but, but. Mudblood this, pureblood that.

"Yeah, that's why I haven't bothered trying to stop them. It'll just make them worse. Fred and George might have tweaked them a bit though, because inside we can't hear them. Which I guess is nice, I wouldn't really like listening to fireworks go off for hours," said Hermione calmly as she looked up at them. Draco looked down at her, seeing the colours reflecting off of her eyes. He firmly dismissed his previous thoughts. What was he thinking? '_I'll just ignore her blood status and be super friendly towards her because we went to school together_'. School didn't mean anything, they hated each other the entire time anyway. Even after the war, friendship between them would never last. Potter and Weasel would never allow such a thing. His parents wouldn't even allow _association_ with a mudblood, let alone friendship. He sighed quietly, looking back at the fireworks. Even with the beautiful sight above him, his spirits were brought down slightly.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Hermione curiously, looking up at him. She'd obviously heard the sigh.

"Nothing. Just confused," replied Draco shortly. That was an understatement. He was going insane. He was over-thinking everything, questioning things he'd grown up believing, contradicting and disagreeing with himself. He didn't even know what he believed in any-more. To make matters worse - wasn't he supposed to be superior, proud, doing whatever he wants? And yet his parents still dictate which girls he can talk to, even as an adult. Yeah. Great. No doubt Granger's muggle parents didn't mind who she was friends with. She could be friends with muggles, mudbloods, half-bloods and purebloods. She had complete freedom, and he didn't. He sighed internally this time - why was this even an issue? It'd never been a problem at Hogwarts, it shouldn't be a problem now. Why was it?

"It doesn't look like it. You have that really serious face again. Like you're concentrating extremely hard on something, but-"

"It's nothing, Granger," he snapped impatiently, losing his chain of thought. It was Hermione's turn to sigh - back to being cold, rude, snappy, impatient and unhappy. Back to being overly Slytherin-like. She had to admit, at least he wasn't calling her a mudblood and walking back inside, leaving her standing here alone. But he wasn't exactly being... normal? either. Would it really hurt him to just talk about personal things for once? Would it be so hard to just be honest, and speak his mind? They seemed to be getting along quite well before... well, before Harry had _Sectumsempra'd_ him for the second time. And before the Order left to kill Voldemort without him, putting his parents in significant danger. And he _was_ going to die if Snape didn't arrive in time to heal him. Fine, he had plenty of reasons to be in a bad mood. And she was still a muggle-born in his eyes. It was stupid to expect him to just talk to her as if they were the best of pals. But still. They had just escaped Malfoy Manor together, survived countless dangerous situations, avoided Death Eaters and snatchers, sneaked into Hogwarts, destroyed a horcrux, argued with Harry, Ron and each other, ate and slept in the same house, and socialized in almost-friendly manners all in the past week or two. Plus helped each other out along the way.

So, it _did_ made sense for them to be talking friendlily, Hermione decided. She looked up at him again, and noticed that he still had that curiously serious expression. He looked like a completely different person when he was concentrating on something hard enough. He was obviously thinking about things excessively. Well, she'd give him something to think about alright. Starting the moment they got back inside - she was going to understand how his frustratingly pureblood, Slytherin brain functioned. And she was going to understand what he was thinking, and why he was acting the way he was.

* * *

'_It'd never been a problem at Hogwarts, it shouldn't be a problem now. Why was it?_'

Draco suddenly had the answer to that question. At Hogwarts they just hated each other out of habit and instinct. Childhood grudges between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and old prejudices between muggle-borns and purebloods were what separated them. Deep down, he knew this. Memories of the past two weeks flooded through his mind - memories of her. He liked Hermione Granger, more than he would like to admit. But at the same time, how in the world could they be friends? It was just an absurd idea. It had to be.

But he just couldn't stop _thinking_ about it... or her.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	17. Chapter 17

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

By the time they'd gone back inside, Draco looked significantly weaker. His bandages were blood soaked again as well, something that Hermione hadn't noticed until they were under the lights again. He laid back on the lounge, letting out a breath of relief. On either side of the lounge were warm armchairs and the fireplace was directly in front of it - a fire was already flickering there, keeping the room warm. At last most of the Order was gone and he wouldn't have to see Potter or Weasel's faces for a while. But before he could relax or get comfortable, Hermione was already beginning to replace the bandages again.

"You really should have said something," she said in annoyance as she was taking the blood-soaked bandages off. Draco shrugged in reply, wincing slightly.

"I'm guessing the pain relieving spells are wearing off too-?" Hermione continued, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter-"

"How doesn't it _matter_? Honestly Malfoy, you're bleeding to death-"

"And I don't want to be nursed," he gritted out. He was going to add, 'nursed _like a child_' but he cut that part out. Why wouldn't she just drop it? Fine, he didn't say anything when the spells wore off outside, why was that such a big deal? So what if he was in pain for a while. He still had some ego, pride and dignity left - so he refused to ask anyone for help. It wasn't like anyone from the Order would care anyway, and he doubted that they'd end up getting Snape either. In fact, the only possible way to capture Severus Snape was if he surrendered freely. He was the ultimate spy and escapee. The ultimate Slytherin. He'd fooled the greatest wizard in history - Dumbledore - for years, in Draco's eyes. Of course Draco - nobody, actually - really knew that Snape had been spying _for_ Dumbledore this entire time, and still was. The point was, unless Snape turned himself in, he'd be lying here bleeding out for many hours to come. And it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. He'd been dreading the situation from the moment Potter had spat the incantation out. Fucking Gryffindor scarface-

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't want to be nursed by me because I'm a _mudbl_-" began Hermione angrily, once again tugging Draco from his in-depth thoughts.

"That's not what I meant," Draco said in exasperation. She took everything to offence, as if expecting him to insult her. He blinked, and then sighed in annoyance at himself. Well of course she expected it to be an insult, he'd been doing it for years. But she didn't have to be so biased about it, assuming him to always mean harm. He silently cursed himself - and now he was being a hypocrite. He'd been biased about her blood type since she was an eleven year old girl. The way she acted was his fault. And he felt bad about it. Where on earth was this conscience coming from? A few moments had passed and he realized that she was ignoring him now. Brilliant.

"You do know that wasn't what I meant-" he began.

"Whatever. Like you said, _it doesn't matter_," snapped Hermione in a scarily accurate imitation of himself. Draco sighed, feeling frustrated. What on earth was he meant to say? She'd finished taking the bandages off and she went to get more. He felt like crap and he hadn't even said anything bad. He tried to imagine what her reaction would be if he suddenly called her a mublood - now _that_ would be amusing. He found himself smirking slightly, remembering what it felt like to be completely free back at Hogwarts. He could call anyone anything he wanted. He used to call Hermione a mudblood during class just to see what kind of mood she was in. Or just because he was bored, or he wanted something to laugh at. There was never any meaning behind it, he just knew she hated it and used it against her. It was simple. It was how Slytherin's acted. Hermione had returned without saying anything, and she pulled her wand out and began casting all the healing spells on his gash. Trust, she'd already learned all the spells from Mrs Weasley. He continued thinking - it wasn't always as simple as calling her mudblood for entertainment. He knew deep down that he said it harshly and purposefully if he really wanted to hurt her feelings. That's the problem with Gryffindor's - their feelings are so out in the open! They were so easy to insult, that's _why_ it was funny. They knew nothing about hiding emotions, being snide or cunning. Hermione used to pretend that she didn't care, but it was so obvious that the word bothered her, which was why every Slytherin used it. Gryffindor's were like open books. He took a deep breath, forcing all of these thoughts from his mind. There was no point dwelling on the past anyway. The ultimate truth was, she had helped him and he had helped her. He liked her. And no matter how much he hated her friends, there was a chance they'd save his parents' lives. After coming to this conclusion, Draco took another deep breath as she was nearly finished wrapping the bandages around his wound.

"I seriously didn't mean anything before. The spells wore off, I ignored it and you made a big deal out of it. Can we move on?" he said, trying to sound as if the whole situation was ridiculous.

"You know, this is the third set of bandages that you've soaked in blood. You haven't realized it yet Malfoy, but your already pale skin is a shade paler. And I'm the one who has to watch," said Hermione, forcing her voice to be calm. So that's why she was so serious about it all. He was grotesquely dying in front of her. Draco decided to let it drop, this was obviously some sort of touchy subject to her. Whatever. He'd seen multiple people die over the past couple of months, and... had Granger even seen anyone die? Surely she had, she was part of the '_Golden Trio_'. Everyone was dying, she had to of seen something bad happen. Or maybe she hadn't. They'd probably been hiding in the little tent for months, hidden and broken off from all of the death and destruction that Voldemort was causing. Perhaps watching him slowly die really _was_ affecting her badly. He tried another approach.

"So what does it take for you to act normal again? An apology-?" he asked awkwardly.

"You want _me_ to act normal? You're the one who's been deep in thought, acting strange, letting himself slowly die without asking for help-"

"You noticed that I've been deep in thought?" Draco interrupted in surprise.

"It's obvious - but that's beside the point!" said Hermione frustratedly, sitting down in the armchair which was in front of him.

"Okay fine, if the spells wear off I'll mention it next time. Just don't make such a big deal over it," Draco muttered irritably.

"Why? Does being healed by me hurt your ego or something?" Hermione asked, with equal irritation.

"This is what I mean. Like twenty minutes ago you were _skipping_, and now it's the end of the world," he replied, sneakily evading her question. The truth was that yes, his ego was being beaten up at the moment. He'd been cursed by Potter, he'd used the word '_please_' when speaking to a Weasley and he'd thanked a muggle-born. Hermione blushed when he mentioned her skipping earlier, but didn't give up with the argument.

"And this is what _I_ mean. You're acting all uncaring about the fact that you're dying, when it _is_ a big deal. You've been deep in thought for a while, and yes it's obvious, and you won't tell me what you're thinking about. It's irritating," Hermione finished, kind of lamely.

"So? What do you want me to do?" scoffed Draco, lifting his shoulders uselessly.

"Just be _honest_ for once, talk about stuff," she said blatantly. Draco raised an eyebrow. It felt extremely odd to be asking him such a question, him being a Slytherin, and them never getting along and all. She suddenly realized how private he was. Sure he'd talked about Crabbe and Goyle a few days ago, he'd mentioned that it had been horrible living with Bellatrix and Voldemort. And even though he hadn't actually said it, it was obvious that he was scared for his parents. Hermione felt as if she'd gotten to know him more in the past two weeks, than all of Hogwarts put together. But he was still never honest, and he never spoke his mind.

"Talk about... _stuff_," he sneered the word out.

"Fine, I honestly thought we were getting along-" snapped Hermione, looking slightly hurt.

"Okay I'll talk about '_stuff_', just as long as you stop being all up-tight about it," Draco said quickly, keeping a straight face. They looked at each other for a moment, Hermione seeming to doubt him.

"So you'll be honest? You promise?" she asked curiously, failing to hide a bit of excitement in her tone.

"To an extent. Don't expect me to just spill all of my deepest, darkest secrets because of a single _promise_-" he smirked superiorly, but Hermione was already smiling as she thought of her first question.

"Okay, why are you acting like you don't care," she asked immediately. Draco blinked, thinking of his answer.

"Don't _think_ Malfoy, just _say_-"

"Because caring is a sign of weakness, I don't know? Why care when there's a good chance that Snape won't show up?" he said, shrugging - of all things - _carelessly_.

"But he _will_ show up, I made Harry promise-" Hermione repeated as though this was completely unarguable.

"And you trust people too easily Granger, he'll break that promise without thinking twice on it!" Draco said impatiently. She appeared so naive to him, just putting her trust and faith in things that were unreliable.

"Okay fine, since there's a very slim chance that Snape won't arrive in time, trust me instead," said Hermione firmly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded curiously. Hermione leaned forward a bit, a smile forming on her lips.

"What is the incantation of Snape's spell - don't say you don't know, I know you know," she said quickly before he could interrupt. They were both thinking the same thing - of course he had to remember what the incantation was. Harry had used _Sectumsempra_ on him the year before in the bathroom. And it was Snape who arrived and healed him - it was Snape who'd said the counter-curses' incantation right in front of him. He definitely remembered.

"I only remember it vaguely. I was disoriented. Besides, you wouldn't be able to-" Draco said, shaking his head.

"I'm _able_ to do anything, in-case you haven't realized I'm the smartest witch of our age," said Hermione smugly, with a superior smirk that was commendable, but not good enough for his standards.

"You can't do it like _me_, _Granger_-"

"Don't change the _subject_, _Malfoy_. The incantation please," Hermione demanded, as if she were asking him to hand over a book or secret. She remembered him saying not to expect him to spill any of his deepest secrets. How was this even an important secret? It was only a counter-curse.

"It's not mine to tell everyone. It's Snape's invention," Draco said uncomfortably after a moment.

"You're being ridiculous! I'm sure Snape wouldn't mind if you told me so that I could potentially save your life," she said in disbelief.

"And afterwards you'll go telling everyone, then his curse won't exactly be a _curse_ any more would it?" Draco replied, raising an eyebrow. He had a point, but Hermione couldn't believe what he was saying.

"What's more important, your life or a horrible curse? In-case you haven't noticed, it's Snape's curse which has gotten you here. Maybe he shouldn't have written it in an old Potions book, then Harry would never have found it," said Hermione, folding her arms angrily.

"How would you like it if Dumbledore had invented some sort of amazing spell, and there was a spell which stopped it from working and I went around telling everyone-" Draco said in an attempt to make her understand, but Hermione just burst out laughing.

"Snape's curse is _sickening_, not amazing. After the war is over there won't be any need for curses or violence anyway. But if it means so much to you, I promise I won't tell anyone. Just trust me," said Hermione gently.

"_Trust_ you," he muttered sneeringly. He was stalling, to have more time to think about it.

"Yes, trust me. I will save your life and never tell a soul about the incantation," Hermione promised. As if to emphasise it, she held her hand out confidently.

"Don't start with the muggle-hand-shaking business," Draco groaned, although he was halfway between smirking and smiling.

"Do you want to live or die. This is a life changing decision," said Hermione in mock seriousness, her hand still extended to him politely. After a few seconds, he finally sighed and gave in. Pushing himself up against the pillows, he leaned over and shook her hand. He'd never admit it, but it honestly felt nice to just sit here and act... casual with her. Like they were friends. Of course shaking her hand was utterly ridiculous, but at least they both knew it was a joke. Although he had a feeling that their views on muggles would be different - he wasn't going to go into that. He realized that they were still holding hands, not even shaking - just holding gently, and he let go awkwardly. Hermione just smiled and blushed, but continued relentlessly with discovering the counter-curse.

"I'm waiting," she prompted subtly.

"Don't get your hopes up. I may have heard it wrong, there might be difficult wrist movements involved-" Draco began reluctantly.

"Malfoy _please_, just relax. I'm not sure what it is about Slytherin's and secrets, but I'm sure Snape won't care. Tell me the incantation, I'll figure out the rest," Hermione said with a smile. He took a deep breath, nodding slightly.

"Fine. I'm holding you to your promise, you can't tell anyone, not a soul-"

"Yes, yes, yes!" said Hermione, waving her hand impatiently, her eyes sparkling slightly in excitement.

"What's got you all hyped up?" scoffed Draco, smirking at her.

"_You_! You've made such a big deal over this spell, just say it already," she said, almost pleadingly. Draco smirked more, but decided to just tell her. If his life wasn't actually on the line, he'd probably keep on stalling just to make her whine and beg, but his life _was_ on the line. He was even more excited and nervous than she was, but again - it was just so easy for him to act as if it meant nothing. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to remember the moment over a year ago.

"Okay. He said it almost like a song, three times - '_Vulnera Sanentur_'," he murmured the words in a low voice, mimicking the way Snape had said them. He opened his eyes, and before he'd even finished Hermione was almost giddy with excitement.

"Finally! Come on, lets try it," she said, pulling out her wand quickly.

"Calm down, you're probably going to make it worse-"

"I can't believe it took you that long to say it. I've only asked two questions so far, I've got more you know," Hermione continued as she sat on the edge of the lounge beside him. Draco rolled his eyes.

"If you've got more then just let me die instead," he muttered sarcastically as she began taking the bandages off. Hermione just smiled, and when she'd finally taken the bandages off - cringing again at the wound - she cleared her throat and pointed her wand at it.

"Hmm. What if something goes wrong?" she asked suddenly.

"Maybe _that's_ why I didn't want to tell you it, what a _comforting_ thing to say right before you're about to-" Draco began sarcastically as he eyed her wand. He was interrupted as she laughed merrily though, clearly at ease with the situation. She was so confident with spells, it was as though she could do anything. He watched as Hermione cleared her throat again and took a deep breath. And then her deep brown eyes seemed to narrow in focus, and her hand steadied as she pointed at the top of the wound. It was bleeding openly already, and Draco looked down worriedly, despite himself. She might not realize it, but he _had_ put a lot of trust in her. What if it _did_ go wrong?

"_Vulnera Sanentur_," Hermione said clearly, moving her hand from the top of the gash to the bottom. They both gasped - all of the blood seemed to clear, and it looked much cleaner. Remembering that Snape had said it three times, Hermione repeated the incantation again, doing the same hand movement. Next the skin seemed to knit together magically, and with the third time it was healed completely. All that remained was a long, raw scar. Hermione had a satisfied smile across her lips - she'd actually healed him, just like that. The entire secret was just two words. She looked up to see Draco looking absolutely astonished.

"D-dittany, Granger," he said, nodding towards her pocket.

"Oh, right," she said, pulling it out. The new scar now looked like it was a few days old. Hermione dropped a bit of the Dittany onto it, and rubbed the liquid over it. Magical mist rose from the scar, but when Hermione was finished it had completely vanished. Just like Snape had promised - if Dittany were used immediately _after_ the counter-curse, there were absolutely no lasting effects. It was as if the curse had never even happened. There was silence, and Draco was surprised by what happened next. Hermione had kept her hand on his chest, and she'd spotted the faint outlines of another scar. Last year it was too late for the Dittany by the time Snape had carried him to the hospital wing from the bathroom, where Harry had first used the curse. Hermione sat closer to him on the lounge, as she traced the other scar with her fingertips gently, from his chest down to his hip where it ended. He was practically mesmerised by her touch, and didn't say anything. He looked from her hand to her face, and couldn't deny the fact that she was pretty. Dazzlingly pretty.

His thoughts were suddenly torn from her face and to her hand again. She'd stopped tracing his scar, and had instead touched his left forearm. Her fingertips traced another mark, a darker mark. One that he'd been hiding for the past two weeks with long robes and long sleeved shirts. He knew she'd probably seen it before - there were multiple opportunities. But she was kind enough not to mention it or judge him for it. He looked at her face as she continued tracing along the mark. She was expressionless. He expected a frown, a disgusted look, maybe even a glare. But instead she was expressionless, just staring at it. As if coming out a trance, he jerked his arm roughly out of her fingertips, causing her to flinch. They made eye contact, neither of them fully understanding what had just happened.

"S-sorry, I shouldn't have-" said Hermione, moving her hand away and blushing bright red.

"Forget it. Just forget it," Draco interrupted, not sure what he felt. Embarrassed? Ashamed? Disgusted with himself? All of those were true. But there was another feeling, another emotion mixed in with the rest which he didn't fully understand. Scared. Scared of rejection, not just rejection from her - but rejection from every other witch and wizard he will have to meet in the future. He was branded physically and mentally with the black skull-like mark on his arm till the day he died. And anger - anger because she'd been bold enough to touch it. If she hadn't touched it, he wouldn't have to relive all the bad emotions and memories it still caused.

"Do you... want to talk about it? I mean, this would be a good time for honesty and talking about-"

"_Stuff_? So when you said _'lets talk about stuff'_, what you really meant to say was, _'I wonder if he has that filthy mark'_-" Draco burst out furiously, moving to get up.

"Of course not, I want to help Malfoy!" Hermione insisted, grabbing his hand to stop him from walking away.

"You can help by never mentioning this to anyone, and never touching me again," Draco snapped dangerously, ripping his hand from hers and glaring down at her when he stood up. For some completely bizarre reason, she had tears in her eyes. Why the hell would she be crying? It was obvious that he didn't want anyone seeing it or touching it. This was entirely her fault!

"Why would I tell anyone, that's just cruel. I only want to help-"

"Good, because if you mention it to anyone I'll kill you," Draco growled, looking deadly serious. Only some of the Order actually knew that he had the Dark Mark, and he planned on keeping it that way.

"Please sit down-"

"Go to bed Granger, it's late-"

"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Hermione pleaded, keeping eye contact as she stood up in front of him.

"You didn't hurt me, just leave me alone-"

"Then why don't you want to talk to me?" demanded Hermione.

"I don't want your help, I don't want to talk to you, we were never friends and we never will be. Go away," said Draco as he glared down at her, putting as much hate into his words as possible. There was no sneer or smirk at all, his jaw was just set in a firm line and his eyes were burning with anger and pain at having to say something so cruel to her. Hermione seemed to flinch at that, and she looked extremely hurt. He could see it in her eyes that that had hit home - like he'd said earlier, Gryffindor's were open book's when it came to insults and emotions.

"T-that hurt," she choked slightly.

"So does my arm after you touched it," spat Draco in reply.

"So that's it? I help you with e-everything, I save your life, and I'm still just a m-mudblood to you?" Hermione asked painfully, still not moving from where she was in front of him. Draco took a deep breath - that was too far, he wouldn't admit to that. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, he just desperately wanted to be alone. After he didn't reply and just continued to glare coldly at her, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She pushed past him and walked away. A few moments later and he heard her bedroom door slam - she slept in Ginny's room, which was on the same floor as the lounge room. He fell back onto the lounge, not knowing what to think.

* * *

**Reader questions:**

- Do you think it's natural that Malfoy would be insecure over his Dark Mark? If **YOU** were in his position, would you be trying to hide it too?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	18. Chapter 18

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Hermione should never have touched the mark. He should never have let her, he shouldn't have even let her touch his chest. He should have just pushed her hand away and put a shirt on to cover the mark up again. But he hadn't pushed her away - he honestly, genuinely liked her. He'd been so captivated by her touch, she looked so undeniably beautiful that he could have stared at her for hours. But _why_ did she have to touch the mark... he looked down at his left forearm, directing all his hate at the black, swirling skull. In a way, he was directing all of his hate at himself - because the mark was now part of him. If only there was some way to remove it, but he knew there wasn't any. He'd asked Snape during his sixth year. It was truly impossible, unless perhaps if you cut off the arm. But no one had ever tried that before, and he didn't plan to either. He looked away from the mark, feeling too sick to watch it anymore. Instead he stared into the fire, wondering what to do. It wasn't like he could just go apologize. Like she'd ever accept his apology. What he'd said truly was cruel, even more so now than when they were at Hogwarts. She'd only been trying to help, she thought they were almost friends - and she was right, he was beginning to recognize her as a friend too. But he insulted her and utterly turned her down. All because of his own insecurities, his own fear of being branded and rejected. The guilt he felt was like a dull pain in his chest, replacing the curse that _she_ had healed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and he was still dwelling on the same problem. He just couldn't get her out of his head. He couldn't think of anyone or anything else.

Should he just ignore her? Act as if she didn't matter, pretend that he wasn't guilty for what he said? Just hope to get through the next couple of days without speaking, and then go back to living with his parents when the war ended? When - _if_, he corrected himself - the war ended, a friendship between them would never last. He'd already been through this. It was a dead end relationship, so to speak. They just came from two completely different sides of society. So why bother apologizing if he'd never see her again? Hmm. There was still the chance that his parents would be sent to Azkaban. If that happened, he'd be very much alone. There wouldn't _be_ any parents to live with. Maybe he would be sent to Azkaban as well - in which case he'd rather be dead. In which case Kingsley might be able to help him - the Auror was apparently running for Minister for Magic. So what was he going to do? Apologize to Hermione, try and make it up to her, admit that he wants to be friends? With Hermione's friendship he'd be able to earn the rest of the Order's respect and give his family a better name. Once he had Kingsley's trust, himself and his parents would have a better chance of _not_ being sent to Azkaban. That was a smart plan. That was a cunning plan. His instinct's told him that it was the best thing to do.

But there were so many problems involved. Like he'd said earlier - caring, in some ways, is a sign of weakness. The more you care about something, the more you have to lose. Why care - just figuratively of course - about Hermione, about a mudblood, if there was an almost certain chance that it'd never work out. Draco sat for minutes, thinking about this problem. But ultimately, regardless of blood status, his parents, his pride or ego or whatever other excuses he made up... he needed the Order's help. He needed Kingsley's help. He needed _her_ help - in fact, he _wanted_ her help, and her friendship. And he still felt terribly guilty about what he'd said. He was feeling guilty about lots of things before this, but that just topped it all off. It was the first time he'd made her cry in years. Coming to a final conclusion, he decided to apologize. And he needed to do it before the Order returned, too. He looked around for the small bag which had the shirts in it, hoping to cover his Dark Mark up - but of course, that was in her room as well. Whether he apologized or not, he needed a shirt from her to hide his arm from everyone else. Great. He really had no other choice. He stood up, took a deep breath, and walked over to her door. It'd been over twenty minutes now since she'd walked away. He stood outside her door for a while, staring at the doorknob. Should he knock? Or apologize from the other side of the door? If he knocked, she wouldn't open it anyway. If he apologized from out here, he'd sound like a coward. So he knocked. There was no reply.

"Granger?" Draco called curiously. Silence.

"I want to apologize."

"Well I don't accept, just go away," came Hermione's voice from inside.

"Well I'm going to say it whether the door is closed or not, so..." Draco trailed off, preparing himself to apologize to the wooden door. Perhaps it'd be easier talking to the door, rather then having to say it to her face. Before he could begin, the door swiftly opened and he looked down at her, nearly flinching. She looked ready to slap him, and he couldn't blame her. Thankfully her eyes weren't red or anything - they were just filled with anger instead. Anger was easier for him to handle than tears.

"Go then, not that it'll make any difference," Hermione spat out, glaring up at him furiously.

"I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. There," Draco said, with just a hint of sincerity in his voice.

"Not good enough-"

"What the hell do you-?"

"A simple sorry isn't _enough_! If you really expect me to forgive you for _everything_, you have to say _everything_! Be honest, straight-forward, brave, swallow your god-damn _pride_!" Hermione screamed, her eyes glinting in anger and hurt as she slammed the door shut in his face. Draco blinked, momentarily shocked. A slap probably would have been nicer. There was only one option left - she'd been honest, she'd given him a chance, she'd put trust in him. He'd given nothing in return. Obviously, '_everything_' meant an apology for the past six years as well. If she wanted everything, fine. He could do this. He had to do this. He took a deep breath.

"I've been hiding my Dark Mark for two weeks because I'm disgusted and ashamed of it, I never wanted you to see it. I said that stuff earlier because I knew it'd hurt your feelings, and I knew that it was the only way to make you walk away. That doesn't mean I meant it. I just wanted to be alone because I was embarrassed. All you've ever been to me is nice, and in return I've just been cruel. Earlier I was scared that after you'd seen my arm, you wouldn't like me. I didn't want to look stupid, so I rejected you before you could reject me. I say I don't care about things, because I've grown up to believe that the more you care about something, the m-more you have to lose," said Draco, his voice beginning to shake as he continued talking to the door.

"The reason I sometimes act cold and cruel, is so that I can hide my w-weaknesses. I told you to go away, so that you wouldn't see my insecurities. All my life I've labelled and insulted others because of their b-blood types, like you. And now I'm forced to h-hide my left arm, so that I can't be labelled, insulted or judged for it. I'm a h-hypocrite, and I know this. I've been brought up to hide behind a m-mask, to veil my emotions, so as to keep a s-strong image. You saved my life, a-and I still haven't even said thank you. All Slytherin's are like this, it's just who I am and it can't be changed. I'm only a-admitting this to you, because I truly believe that you're the nicest person I've ever met."

He _wasn't_ crying. He was just struggling to get some parts out, because it was so against his true nature to be honest like this. He stopped there, his jaw set in a hard line as he closed his eyes and begged for some sort of mercy. So much for not spilling his deepest, darkest secrets. He didn't know what he was feeling - humiliation, mostly. Absolute, deep, utter humiliation. He imagined Hermione opening the door and laughing at him like he was some sort of joke. No doubt he'd deserve that - he'd laughed at her for being a know-it-all mudblood her entire life. But at the same time he felt relief at finally being able to let off some steam. Relief at finally letting go of the built up guilt in his chest. In an odd way, she was one of the only people he really trusted, apart from his parents and Snape. The door opened slowly, and he looked down into Hermione's face. She had tears in her eyes - and he realized that his own eyes were stinging slightly too.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly as she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly, "I shouldn't have told you to say all of that."

Draco was once again shocked at how strangely nice she was. Her head was buried in his chest and her arms were wrapped around him, so he awkwardly held her there. There was one last thing he still needed to say, one last thing to make things right.

"And... thanks, Granger. For saving my life, more than once," he said calmly. That was it. Of course, he hadn't apologized for everything and thanked her for everything - there was so much more that had happened between them in the past six years. And he had a feeling that there was so much more to happen in the years to come. Such as, what on earth they would do after the war ended. But what he'd said was enough for the time being.

"Thank _you_ for being honest. You're a good person, Malfoy," replied Hermione quietly, as she pulled away and looked up at him, still holding him gently. She never thought she'd say that, but there it was. Despite the fact that he used to be - and still was, sometimes - a bully, he was a Slytherin, he was a _Malfoy_, mean, rude, snide, egotistical and prejudiced... he was in no way a murderer, or evil. He was just as much a victim of the wizarding war as she was. And at that present time, they were in the same boat, and he'd gone out of his way to earn her forgiveness by being honest.

"You're um - freezing," Hermione continued awkwardly, indicating to his bare skin which she was still holding. She let go with an embarrassed blush.

"You're warm," said Draco, with equal awkwardness. They both suddenly realized what had just happened - they'd actually hugged each other. _That_ was something he didn't do every day. He felt like an idiot, but he didn't blush. He probably didn't have any blood left in his body to blush with, and he realized that he was probably still pale from the curse.

"Déjà vu," laughed Hermione, in an attempt to change the subject, as she remembered when she was locked in the cellar at Malfoy Manor. At the time it was her who had been freezing cold, and Draco who had been warm. It felt like ages ago, even though it'd only been two or three weeks.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked in confusion.

"Oh - it's a muggle saying. It means I've seen or heard that before," explained Hermione, realizing that he knew nothing about muggles, "remember back in the cellar?"

"Yeah, I remember. Speaking of _muggles_," said Draco, saying the word in amusement, "do you have the bag with the muggle clothes?"

He wanted to cover up the black mark on his arm as soon as possible, so that he wouldn't have to talk or think about it again. He also wanted to make sure that he had it covered up before the rest of the Order returned. _If_ the rest of the Order returned... he shivered at the thought of them failing, and the chance of Voldemort winning. If that happened the war would never end, and his parents would be doomed. That was a very frightening possibility to him. Hermione got the hint, and nodded quickly as she went back into her room. She returned with the small bag and handed it to him, following him over to the lounge again. Draco cringed at the idea of having to wear muggle clothes. Even though it was common - heaps of Hogwarts students did, and Hermione _always_ did, he still felt foolish. As he was looking for a shirt, he noticed Hermione glancing at his chest and arms from beside the fire. Unlike Harry and Ron who were both gangly and skinny, he was just thin enough to show muscle. He prided himself in having a lean, strong physique.

"You're pale, you should probably have that dinner Mrs Weasley saved for you - it'll help," said Hermione, trying not to blush when he'd noticed her watching.

"I'm not hungry," replied Draco, as he pulled a long sleeved shirt on, to Hermione's disappointment.

"You need something to eat to help regain blood and strength," she insisted.

"I'll just have a potion then-"

"Malfoy this isn't the hospital wing," Hermione laughed as she headed for the kitchen, "there aren't any potions here."

A couple of days ago and he probably would have insulted the Weasley family for not being able to afford healing potions. But he held his tongue - there was no point in creating another reason to fight with her. Once he was fully dressed and slightly warmer, he moved the lounge closer to the fire and fell back onto it. Fatigue and exhaustion seemed to settle in, no doubt they were after effects from the loss of blood. He hadn't been paying any attention to himself for the past hour, all of his attention had been on... well, Hermione. He didn't know what to think of that.

"Here," came Hermione's voice from beside him, surprising him slightly. She handed him the dinner and knife and fork.

"Thanks," said Draco, before he began eating. As usual, Mrs Weasley's cooking was excellent. He realized that he was not only exhausted and fatigued, but very hungry all of a sudden. His mind had been so pre-occupied lately.

"I'll be in my room," said Hermione with a smile as she walked to her room. Even though she had hundreds of questions and things she wanted to talk to him about, it just felt too odd. In the past two weeks, they'd mostly been talking because they had to - being in the tent, they were in such close proximity and were just forced to talk. And half the time she was stopping the fights between the other three. In the cellar they had to, and earlier he was cursed so they sort of had to. But now, there was no reason to talk. They were just waiting for the Order to come back. It was funny how at Hogwarts, she would have dreaded having to be _near_ him, even with a good reason. And now she actually wanted to talk to him, just because she somehow enjoyed his unique company. She sighed and pulled out a book to read. Reading will easily take her mind off things - it always did.

* * *

Draco had finished eating and he took his plate into the kitchen. It was eerily quiet, since Mrs Weasley had gone upstairs to do whatever it is Mrs Weasley does. Dean and Luna had walked past the kitchen holding hands, to go sit outside in the garden. After checking the time and realizing it was quarter past nine at night, he assumed it was Luna's idea. Griphook was, as usual, in an upstairs room minding his own business. Hermione was in her room reading, and he was bored. After dumping his plate in the sink and returning to the lounge, he was also anxious. It'd been over an hour since the Order left. The fate of his parents, his family, his home and even his life depended on the Order. Surely it wouldn't take them an hour of duelling to win? What if they'd lost, and were all lying dead at Voldemort's feet? Were his parents alive? Where were they? Would they be sent to Azkaban? He wished he could talk about it with someone. Obviously he knew who that someone was, because he couldn't stop thinking about her. But he wasn't going to go knocking on her door again. As if on cue, two minutes later Hermione came back out with her book. She eyed the armchair opposite him, but instead chose to sit right beside him on the lounge, rather timidly.

"I'm worried," said Hermione simply, as she curled her legs up underneath her and looked at him.

"So am I. Why is it taking them so long?" asked Draco, deciding to talk about the things he'd just been thinking of.

"I'm not sure. Maybe You-Know-Who's putting up a good fight," said Hermione, shivering slightly as she said it, "or perhaps they've already beaten him. They could just be locking the Death Eaters up and finding Snape."

Draco flinched slightly at hearing her say, '_locking the Death Eaters up_'. If he were to be honest, he hoped neither of those outcomes occured. He wanted Voldemort to die, he wanted his parents _not_ to be locked up, and he didn't want them to find Snape, since he'd already been healed. He couldn't have everything though, sooner or later he'd have to accept the fact that his parents would be locked up. Hermione noticed his pained expression.

"Sorry - I didn't mean - I just meant Death Eaters in general," she said quickly, but Draco shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Most of the Death Eaters will be sent to Azkaban, I just hope my parents don't," he muttered, looking over at the fire.

"Well they haven't killed anyone, and they get to have a trial," said Hermione sympathetically. Draco cringed - his own loving parents, considered to be murdering psychopath Death Eaters, facing criminal trial. It made him sick. He would like to think that it was unfair, but he knew it wasn't - it was the law, and it was inevitable.

"And Kingsley says he'll be running for Minister for Magic when the war is over. Who knows, maybe he's at the Ministry right now, making things right again," said Hermione, a spark of hope in her voice. Draco smiled at her choice of words,_ 'making things right again'_. He couldn't agree with her more. He wished for that exact description, for things to be like they were. But once again, he knew that it wouldn't be that way. Things would never be the same for him again, not after all that had happened.

"I hope so, Granger," he said grimly.

"Enough of Azkaban though. Do you think that your parents... and, well, you..." began Hermione nervously, unsure of how to say it. Draco looked at her curiously, indicating for her to go on.

"Will they still hate me?" she went on hurriedly, going red. She never failed to surprise him. Why on earth would she care if his parents hated her or not? He realized that she'd also said, '_well, you_'. He quickly thought about it, once again looking deep in thought.

"They never _hated_ you personally, it was just..." Draco started, trailing off. He wasn't sure how to say it without sounding offensive.

"The fact that I've got mud in my blood," Hermione finished sarcastically, with a sigh. Draco nodded, once again feeling an ache of guilt.

"But will they stay like that after the war?" continued Hermione, turning to face him.

"I don't know, Granger. Probably. Just ignore it, it doesn't mean anything anyway," said Draco uncomfortably. Now it was Hermione's turn to be surprised, and she sat straighter to look him in the eyes thoughtfully.

"I've been meaning to ask, what are your views on blood statuses? And your parents. I never fully understood where the prejudices came from," she asked in interest. Draco internally groaned - he knew that it would come to this. If they were to become anything even close to friends, sooner or later they'd have to have this conversation. Perhaps it was for the best. He took a deep breath.

"To you they're prejudices. To my parents, it's just tradition. It's tradition to marry only pureblood witches and wizards, so that magic stays in magic families," said Draco, just keeping his explanation basic.

"But they hate muggle-borns. I'm nothing but a mudblood to them, why?" asked Hermione, insisting that she get the truth from him, regardless of how offensive it was.

"Well... old traditions say that muggle-borns stole the magic from pureblood families. How else would you be able to do magic, if both your parents are muggles?" asked Draco, shrugging slightly. It was logical.

"Malfoy, do you honestly think that I somehow _stole_ my magic when I was an _eleven_ year old girl-?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"Of course I don't - that's ridiculous. It's impossible to _'steal'_ magic. But that's just what pureblood families believe, that's what I was brought up to believe," Draco insisted.

"But you don't believe it now? Why?" Hermione continued curiously.

"I never actually believed that you stole magic - like I said, it's completely absurd. At Hogwarts us Slytherin's just called you a mudblood because we knew you hated it," Draco admitted. It felt awkward having to explain this to her, but he figured that she already knew why the word was used. It was an insult intended to hurt her feelings, she'd always understood that. Hermione just nodded sadly, not having much to say. Her upset expression made him feel horrible, and he silently cursed the way he acted when he was little.

"Do you... do you hate being called a Death Eater?" she suddenly asked him, looking up.

"Yes. Yes, I hate it," Draco sourly admitted.

"And that's why you don't believe in prejudices that much any more?" continued Hermione. Her tone was laced with curiosity, as she struggled to understand him.

"To be honest Granger, I don't know what I believe in at the moment. Since you got thrown in the cellar two weeks ago, I've obviously got to know you better. You're not as bad as I was originally taught to believe. On the contrary, you're... lots of things," Draco said awkwardly. He wanted to say that she was brave, nice, intelligent, cute, beautiful, but he kept all of this to himself. Hermione blushed, not knowing what to say, but he'd already continued.

"But the other night Tonks called me a '_Death Eater_' in a heaps... I don't know. Offensive way. It was insulting, and yet it reminded me of the way I called other's '_Mudblood_'. Just like how you were born into a family of muggles, I was born into a family of Death Eaters, and nothing was up to me, the Dark Lord had complete control over everything. The fact that I'm now going to be judged by something I can't change for the rest of my life, it..." he trailed off, with a heavy sigh as he glared into the flickering fireplace.

"Hurts?" Hermione finished for him, looking quite surprised. She was surprised because he was describing the exact same way she had felt at Hogwarts. Judged by something she couldn't change, judged by her blood status and parentage. They were as different as humanly possible - girl and boy, Gryffindor and Slytherin, muggle-born and pureblood, Order member and former Death Eater. Even their hair and eye colour were opposite. And yet their similarities were becoming more and more obvious.

* * *

**Reader questions:**

**-** Did you find Draco's apology believable? What did you like and/ or dislike about this chapter?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

At around ten o'clock, Luna and Dean slipped through the lounge room and back upstairs to their rooms. Mrs Weasley was possibly already asleep - or waiting up in her room. Draco and Hermione were still in the lounge room, now comfortably relaxed on the lounge. They were both still waiting for the Order to return, even more anxious than before since the Order had been gone for nearly two hours now. But talking helped take their mind off things, and they'd been talking about anything and everything.

"I'm serious! What is shaking someone's hand going to do? If you were making an agreement, you'd make the Unbreakable Vow," said Draco, still utterly confused about why muggles shake each other's hands.

"Muggle's can't make Vow's, Malfoy. They shake each other's hand as a sign of _trust_," explained Hermione.

"_Muggles_," sneered Draco in amusement, "even what they're called is stupid."

"Hey! My parents aren't stupid. And besides, they're called humans, just like we are," Hermione said firmly as she got comfortable on the lounge beside him.

"Except we're better - admit it Granger, we are!" said Draco exasperatedly as he heard her sigh.

"I'm not going to judge them. I love my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles - they're all muggles. I love my muggle school friends too, and I still see them at home. I might be '_better_' than them, but power isn't everything, Malfoy. Love is," said Hermione simply, as she looked up to make sure he understood.

"Spoken like a true Dumbledore fan. '_Love is everything_'," said Draco, but his half-hearted smirk slowly faltered and was replaced with a thoughtful expression. He gazed into the fire, thinking heavily about what she'd said. He still looked pale from Hermione's point of view, and he was beginning to get more and more tired with each passing minute. The only thing that would help him recover completely was sleep. He continued gazing tiredly at the fire, seemingly mesmerized by the flickering flames. Hermione smiled briefly at him, before opening her book again. She was getting tired as well - everyone was always tired from the war. If the Order didn't arrive soon, they were probably both going to pass out in the next hour.

"What's your book about? Transfiguration?" asked Draco with a smirk.

"No, I'm not _always_ studying. It's called '_Romeo and Juliet_'," replied Hermione without looking up. She looked so peaceful when she was reading - he'd noticed this at Hogwarts of course, but back then she was _always_ reading. This was the first time he'd seen her read anything in ages. The fire was lighting the room up in a golden glow, and the entire picture made him feel drowsy and relaxed.

"Never heard of it, sounds lame," Draco yawned.

"It's a muggle book - I find it intriguing," said Hermione, glancing up at him. "You should sleep. I'll wake you when the Order returns."

"Right... g'night Granger," he murmured, his eyes slowly closing. The words had barely left his lips before his head dropped, and he was fast asleep. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. Since they were both on the same lounge, he was tucked into a ball with his head against the other end. There was easily enough room for her to fit as well, since she was much smaller than him. With a drowsy smile, Hermione conjured a blanket with her wand and threw it over him and herself. She returned to her book, but within minutes she too had fallen asleep without realizing.

* * *

During the early hours of the morning, a few hours later, the Order finally returned. Hermione and Draco were sleeping on opposite sides of the same lounge, under the same blanket. The fire was now a pile of red hot embers, emitting a warm glow over the sleeping figures. Next to Hermione's face was an open book, and it was obvious that she'd fallen asleep reading. Under normal circumstances, Harry and Ron would have been furious with her sleeping on the same lounge as Draco. But the current circumstances were far from normal. The circumstances were both great, and tragic. Harry walked over and gently shook Hermione awake.

"H-Harry?" she murmured groggily, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. We're back. Voldemort's dead, it's over," said Harry with a smile. But his smile was half-hearted, and it gave her the impression that something had gone wrong.

"Oh thank god you're okay - we waited up for ages. What time is it?" asked Hermione in relief as she quickly sat up. Harry decided to ignore the '_we_ waited' part. To his disappointment, her sudden movements had already woken up Draco as well.

"It's just past midnight, we were gone for five hours," explained Harry.

"Where is... w-where is Ollivander?" asked Hermione suddenly, as she looked around the room at the people present.

"Voldemort murdered him as soon as we arrived," said Harry grimly. But that was only the first thing she had noticed. Hermione's shock deepened as she looked around the room, and she noticed that there were other people missing. Her eyes set on George - there was only one George... there was meant to be two of him. Where was his duplicate? Where was his partner in crime, his identical self? His face was expressionless, emotionless, blank, empty and dead.

"F-Fred?" she only needed to say the name for her answer. George left the room, and they all heard him choking up slightly as the front door slammed on his way out. The realization of what had happened to him was surreal. Hermione couldn't even begin to imagine how devastated he was. Bill left the room to comfort his younger brother. But after seeing George's face, everyone knew that only Fred could comfort and balance him again. His identical twin was the only person who could make him whole and complete. His life-time partner was dead, gone and never to return.

"Fred and George were outnumbered on the left side of the building. Fred didn't make it out," Harry explained uncomfortably. Ron and Mr Weasley's eyes were red and puffy from grieving. But they looked fine compared to George - he looked completely and utterly broken. Hermione would never forget that face.

"And Tonks?" she continued, although she feared she already knew the answer.

"Was murdered by her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange," said Lupin from the back of the group, looking and sounding frighteningly livid.

"Who will serve a lifetime in Azkaban, which will end with a Dementors Kiss. The worst possible fate available to human life," he continued, before also leaving the room to have some privacy. It was clear that no form of punishment was enough for the murder that had been inflicted. The shock and devastation hit Hermione like a tidal wave, and she felt her eyes filling with tears. Nobody knew what to say, so instead they all went off in their own directions. Mr Weasley quietly went upstairs to his wife, to inform her of their sons death. Fleur went outside to be with Bill and George.

"M-my god," whispered Hermione as she wiped her eyes but couldn't stop crying. Draco didn't know what to say, so he just slowly sat up and remained silent. He felt terrible seeing Hermione cry again. Harry and Ron better play their '_best friend_' roles good.

* * *

Harry and Ron did their best to change the subject from the death and grief to the '_Battle of Malfoy Manor_', as it was now famously called. They described what it was like running through the corridors at night, duelling and stunning their way into the building. It must have been one hell of a dangerous adrenaline rush. But there wasn't much to talk about when it came to the battle itself - because mostly, it was just a number of duels. Harry talked about how since only four people - instead of six - went through the left side of the house, that may have been a reason for Tonks and Fred's deaths. They were unfairly outnumbered. Hermione could have told Harry that if he hadn't cursed Draco, they wouldn't have been outnumbered. But she was too devastated to start any arguments. Apparently George had blamed himself for Fred's death, saying that he should have stayed with him '_till the end_', and shared the same fate. Likewise Kingsley was left with horrible guilt, being Tonks partner - and Tonks being Lupin's wife. All of their conversations returned to the same sad conclusion.

"And Harry died, Hermione - he actually _died_!" said Ron in urgency.

"How does that work?" asked Hermione in bewilderment, looking at Harry, who smiled.

"The night Voldemort tried to kill me, he accidentally attached part of his soul onto mine. When we were duelling earlier, lots of us ended up in this large room with a long table, it was hectic. But anyway, me and Lupin were duelling Voldemort, and at the same time Bellatrix murdered Tonks. You know how much I hate Bellatrix - I tried to duel her, forgot to protect myself, and got _Avada Kedavra'd_ by Voldemort. Lupin managed to stun Bellatrix, and continue duelling Voldemort with the Elder Wand by himself - he's a hero, Lupin. Shortly after that Kingsley arrived and I awoke, and together the three of us finished Voldemort off. And that was it," finished Harry modestly, as Hermione and Draco listened in awe. Since only Kingsley was in the room with them, they also went on to describe the horcruxes. Obviously since the war was over, and they trusted Kingsley, it was okay to mention the horcruxes at last.

"I grabbed the sword before we left too, and we used that to cut the snakes head off. And destroy the cup. And to be sure, George stabbed Voldemort's dead body with it a couple of times," said Ron with a grin. Hermione laughed aloud at that, even though it probably wasn't funny at the time. Even a _dead_ Voldemort would have been kind of scary. But that was the point - he was dead. And all of his remaining horcruxes, even the sneaky ones attached to peoples souls, were gone. It was over.

"Before you relax though - Malfoy, you're healed?" asked Kingsley, joining the conversation when it was over.

"Yeah, I could remember the counter-curse during the night. I told Granger, and she managed to heal me," explained Draco, glancing at Hermione in a silent '_thank you_'. He made sure it was brief though, because he could feel Harry and Ron's glares burning into him. Usually they would have congratulated Hermione on successfully accomplishing an advanced healing spell, but since she'd done it to save Draco's life, they didn't say anything.

"Oh, excellent. Either way, as promised, we captured Snape for you. Well, he voluntarily handed himself in when Voldemort was killed. He's waiting outside, claiming that he is on our side-" explained Kingsley in satisfaction.

"Bullshit, if you ask me-" Ron said darkly.

"Ah, but he says he has evidence Ron. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm going to go and get Minerva in a minute, to confirm the evidence-" continued Kingsley.

"Professor McGonagall? Is she coming here? Why?" asked Hermione in excitement. She was dying to talk to her old professor.

"Snape's evidence is in the form of _memories_. We will require a pensieve to access them, and Veritaserum to make sure he is honest in the process. Minerva will use Dumbledore's pensieve and she has access to potions at Hogwarts. And she is part of the Order, remember," Kingsley informed them. After explaining all of this, he stood up to leave.

"You're Minister for Magic, I assume?" asked Draco from the lounge.

"Yes, I became Minister shortly after we handed the Death Eaters over to face trial at the Wizengamot," said Kingsley with a nod.

"Where are my parents, what have you done with them?" Draco demanded, getting up from the lounge. Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt, but didn't say anything. Instead she decided to let Kingsley handle the situation. He seemed very confident, and Draco deserved the truth.

"Malfoy, don't be alarmed. Your parents are perfectly safe - as promised, they weren't even harmed in the battle. I think it's safe to say that your mother - Narcissa - will be free of charge. Lucius, however..." said Kingsley, trailing off uncomfortably. He didn't know how to put it lightly, since there was no way to sugar-coat something like this.

"What about him?" Draco growled apprehensively.

"You need to understand that I'm doing everything in my power to help your family. You and your mother are innocent. But Lucius - he's committed crimes. He's been a Death Eater for over seventeen years - even if he does regret it, he cannot take back his actions. To make matters worse, he broke out of Azkaban last year with Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters. Like I said, I'll do everything I can. But convincing the entire Wizengamot to let Lucius Malfoy go free will be no easy feat. If possible, I can lower his time to a year or two in Azkaban - which is nothing, compared to the rest who will be there for life," explained Kingsley, doing his best to make it seem reasonable. It wasn't working, however.

"You have no idea what Azkaban did to him last time. It doesn't matter how long someone is locked up in that place, it still _tears_ them apart," hissed Draco, looking beyond fury. It was obvious that there was nothing he could do to change his parents fate, however. His father was going to Azkaban - it was inevitable, and frighteningly real. Without anything else to say or do, Draco left the lounge room. Hermione watched him go sympathetically, then flinched as she saw him punch the side wall - smashing a hole clean through. The sound resembled a _smash_ and _crunch_. Whether his hand was broken or not, he wrenched it out of the wall and continued up the stairs to his room. What a lovely exit.

"Kingsley, what's going to happen to Malfoy?" asked Hermione, looking at the new Minister for Magic directly in the eye. The powerful, dark skinned man was indeed the perfect Minister. And like she'd said the night before, he was doing his best to make things right again. But she wanted the truth from him at that moment.

"Draco is an adult wizard. He must face trial also-" said Kingsley grimly.

"You cannot allow that! It isn't fair-!" Hermione said in outrage as she stood up.

"I know that it isn't fair, sometimes life isn't fair and the law certainly isn't. But the law is the law. Lucius _will_ be sent to Azkaban. Draco _will_ face trial. But I am doing _everything_ I can Hermione, I cannot stress this enough," Kingsley said firmly. He turned and walked out the front door without another word. Like he said, he was off to get Professor McGonagall so that they could prove whether or not Snape was telling the truth. Hermione sighed, dropping back onto the lounge. There was silence as neither Ron or Harry knew what to say. It wasn't like they cared about Malfoy at all, but it was clear that Hermione did, which was strange. When they were alone at last, they could finally talk privately.

"It's over. But somehow, it feels like something has just began. The war is over, but the consequences of it are settling in... there's just so much death and sadness," Hermione said aloud, staring at the last embers still glowing in the fireplace. The entire room was still very dark, and it would take a few more hours for morning to arrive. Harry sat down next to her, and Ron was already sitting on one of the armchairs.

"Let's not talk about the war then. You and Malfoy seemed... _cosy_," said Ron casually.

"Don't start, Ron," said Hermione immediately. She wasn't in the mood for it. So much for talking about private things. They hadn't even came back an hour yet, and he was already finding something to get angry about.

"Why not? You were sleeping together-"

"I fell asleep reading a book, on the same lounge as him! That happened _a million times_ with us three back at Hogwarts in the Gryffindor common room!" argued Hermione in exasperation.

"Yeah, and he isn't apart of _us three_ is he?" shouted Ron, pointing towards the stairs where Draco had left.

"Why can't you just drop it? His family is about to be torn apart, his life is a mess - _all_ of our lives are messes at the moment! I don't want to argue with you about every little thing I do!" Hermione shouted back as she stood up, grabbed her book and headed for the stairs as well. She passed the hole in the wall, grimacing slightly. It might have been amusing to see, if only the situation wasn't so serious.

"Unbelievable," muttered Ron furiously.

"I know what you mean - but she has a point. Lets just get through the next couple of days without fighting," said Harry uncomfortably as he went to get something to eat. They hadn't eaten in over five hours, and he was starving.

* * *

"Let me see your hand," said Hermione gently as she sat beside Draco on the bed in the third floor. He lifted his right arm, revealing the bloodied and bruised knuckles. He looked slightly depressed.

"_Why_ did you hit the wall..." she sighed, reaching out and holding the injured fist delicately, and taking her wand out at the same time.

"What am I going to do after all of this?" asked Draco dully.

"_Episkey_... it's up to you, you can do whatever you want. Personally, I want to go back to Hogwarts," said Hermione in excitement.

"I can't go back there, the entire school will hate me. I can't get a job either, because of my... reputation," he muttered, flexing his repaired hand experimentally. As usual, it was perfect - just like Hermione's magic was perfect. That was one of the reasons he didn't bother trying to fix it himself, because he'd probably end up making it worse.

"Well... do you want good news or bad news?" asked Hermione uncertainly. She wasn't too sure if she wanted to be the one to tell him he'd be going to trial soon, like the rest of the Death Eaters. He probably already knew this anyway. But it was better to be prepared.

"Bad first," he said quickly.

"Kingsley said that you will have to face trial, being an adult wizard of over seventeen," said Hermione quickly, to get it over with as fast as possible.

"Great. Another thing to-"

"_But_ the good news is that you have time to prepare, and I've got an entire library of books on magical law downstairs," continued Hermione with a determined smile. Draco appeared so different to what he used to be at Hogwarts... back then his hair was shiny and slicked back with gel, his eyes were powerfully silver and arrogant, and his face was sneeringly superior. He hadn't had any hair gel in weeks though. After hearing about her books downstairs, he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his ragged and untidy blonde hair. His eyes resembled a dull grey of hopelessness, with dark rings under them. His face was gaunt, thin, exhausted. Whether this was from the months of war and strain, or the curse, or both, she wasn't sure. And yet he still had a very defining, mature, Slytherin-like strength.

"To the books, then," he said in resignation, with a half-hearted smirk.

"Are you okay?" asked Hermione timidly, seeing these changes.

"With what?" snapped Draco defensively.

"With... with everything. I'm feeling a sudden lift, I'm free now that You-Know-Who is gone. But you look drained, and upset," explained Hermione awkwardly. She really wanted to know how he was really feeling, but she also didn't want to get him angry over it. It was just curiosity.

"I'm feeling a lift too, Granger. Life has been hell for me and my parents with You-Know-Who controlling us. But starting from this trial, I'll have to live with the consequences of being a Death Eater," answered Draco bitterly as he stood up to leave. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it any more, so Hermione nodded and lead the way downstairs. As she walked, she couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for the unfortunate wizard behind her. While her life was going to go uphill and rebuild in the next few weeks, his was going to rapidly crumble and fall apart.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	20. Chapter 20

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

When they reached the first floor, they were greeted by none other than Professor McGonagall, and a number of other Hogwarts teachers and Ministry officials. The Burrow was very crowded, now that the war was over and the new Minister for Magic was here with Harry Potter. All sorts of witches and wizards were running in and out of the house, doing jobs, organizing things, socializing and eating. The area was full of activity, but Hermione headed straight for her old Transfiguration teacher, to Draco's disappointment.

"Hello Professor McGonagall!" greeted Hermione cheerfully.

"Miss Granger? Oh what a pleasant surprise!" said the old witch. Draco was surprised at how old Professor McGonagall really was now. She always seemed like '_that strict teacher_', and she never seemed to be too old beside Dumbledore - he always held the title for the most ancient wizard in the room. But now, without Dumbledore, after the stress of having the Carrow's at Hogwarts and the war in general, Professor McGonagall looked much older. Of course, the two witches began talking about anything and everything involving Hogwarts and how Hermione had managed to survive and help Harry defeat Voldemort. Draco stood behind Hermione sourly, trying to ignore all of the Ministry officials walking around in the crowded living room. He felt like he was the only person who _wasn't_ entirely happy at the moment. And he was also on edge, expecting some Auror to suddenly pounce on him and drag him off to Azkaban, screaming '_Death Eater! Death Eater!_'. Hermione had better hurry up and hide him, because it was incredibly uncomfortable being around these people.

"In fact, Hogwarts will be closing tomorrow morning. All students will be returning home, to celebrate the end of the war with their families. Of course, the Hogwarts year was almost over anyway - and exams were useless, after the Carrow's _ruined_ the education this year," Professor McGonagall was explaining in a matter-of-fact voice. It annoyed Draco. Two know-it-all's in one conversation, fantastic...

"They must have been horrible. Will Hogwarts be open again next year? Would I be able to finish my seventh year?" asked Hermione eagerly, at last getting the answer she'd been waiting for.

"Of course, dear. But re-opening it will be a tricky thing. This year was disastrous, the Carrow's taught purely the Dark Arts, students were being tortured, hiding in the Room of Requirement, avoiding class, Muggle Studies was a nightmare. To be fair, I've decided to repeat the entire year for all students, so that all students are given a fair chance. But that means the new generation of first years would miss out on attending, and there would be problems with too many students, too few teachers, lack of school funds... yes, it will be difficult to re-open Hogwarts, I'm afraid. But it will be done, I'm certain," finished Professor McGonagall in determination.

"There probably won't be many left from my year, though. Next year, wouldn't we be able to return and just tag along with those seventh years? Even though we'd be in our eighth?" asked Hermione curiously.

"That is another option as well. Since you'll technically be an eighth year next year, I could combine the returning eighth years with the seventh years and just have a larger seventh year class. But then there isn't enough room in the house common rooms to accommodate so many seventh years," sighed Professor McGonagall, who had clearly been thinking of all this quite a lot.

"Surely there's some sort of spare common room in Hogwarts? The castle is huge, after all. We could have some sort of, eighth year common room," said Hermione eagerly.

"Don't get your hopes up Granger, you might end up stuck with Potter and Weasel again. This has been a lovely conversation, but I'd best be going-" began Draco impatiently, deciding to quickly head back upstairs. Being surrounded by Ministry people was beginning to make him feel slightly claustrophobic.

"Don't get _your_ hopes up, Mr Malfoy. You might not believe it yet, but you may just end up back at Hogwarts even if you choose not to go next year," said Professor McGonagall, finally acknowledging the Slytherin who'd been standing behind Hermione and listening the entire time. Draco narrowed his eyes at the old witch, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" snapped Draco.

"You have a trial, I assume?" continued Professor McGonagall.

"Of course I have a bloody-"

"Being an intelligent young wizard like yourself, who hasn't committed any severe crimes, where are they likely going to send you? To Azkaban with the psychopaths, or back to Hogwarts, where you'll be watched and kept safe?" interrupted Professor McGonagall wisely. She had a knowing twinkle in her eye, and it was almost like a female version of Dumbledore was looking down at him. He blinked, suddenly understanding the new Headmistress' words. She already knew the answer, and she was right, as usual.

"Hogwarts," admitted Draco bitterly, "I won't be going, though."

"We shall see," smiled Professor McGonagall shortly. Hermione was smiling as well, looking beside herself with excitement at the whole situation.

"Well, I can't wait for next year. It will be amazing to go back to Hogwarts after everything calms down," she said enthusiastically.

"Yes, it will be a great relief. Let Miss Weasley know I said hello when she returns home tomorrow. I'll see you at Hogwarts next year," said Professor McGonagall pleasantly, before turning and being bombarded with questions from Ministry officials. Re-opening Hogwarts seemed to be a very big deal, and most students were deciding to go there next year, after missing out this year. There would be an especially large influx of muggle-born and half-blood students who had been on the run. And so, for the new Headmistress, there would be lots of work and lots of decisions to make.

"Finally, I thought you'd never stop talking. Let's get your books," said Draco in irritation.

"Why are you so uptight? Nobody's noticed you," said Hermione cheerfully, still in a good mood as they walked over to Ginny's room where the bag was.

"Good, because I don't want to be noticed," Draco muttered as they entered the bedroom. He let out a sigh of relief when the door closed, blocking out all of the noise and activity of The Burrow. Hermione walked over to the small bag sitting on her bed, and began pulling books upon books out, laying them out across the bed. Draco rolled his eyes, and looked around at the rest of the room. There were two beds - Hermione's seemed to be an old spare one, which was probably put there years ago for when she visited in the summer. That was to be expected - the Golden Trio, having cosy little sleep overs on school holidays. The walls in Ginny's room were pink, as was her bed and everything else. He smirked slightly. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would probably make multiple snide comments on the pink walls and pile of books. His smirk faded as he realized that he was probably a day away from facing trial. The thought scared him more than he would ever admit.

"Want to go upstairs?" asked Hermione casually.

"Up to you," shrugged Draco, not really caring where they were, as long as he wasn't seen by any Ministry members. His mind was still dwelling on the trial, Auror's and Ministry officials. He couldn't stop thinking about his fate - ending up in Azkaban to rot, or being forced to return to Hogwarts, where he'd be perceived as a murderer by the entire school.

"Malfoy," said Hermione, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was watching him.

"What?" he muttered.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine. The pink is bothering me, let's go upstairs," he said, using any excuse to avoid talking about how he felt. He felt a lot of things, and none of them were good. Hermione just nodded, selecting a few books - which turned out to be five thick textbooks - and putting the rest away. As she began picking them up, Draco walked over and took the books for her.

"Thanks," smiled Hermione. They left the pink bedroom and went back into the first floor of The Burrow, which was bursting with even more activity than before. It seemed that the Ministry had made a temporary headquarters out of The Burrow for the day. They moved in and out of the crowd as fast as they could to avoid conversation, as they headed straight for the stairs. Just as they reached the stairs however, Draco felt one of his - Hermione's - books being snatched from his hands.

"'_Advanced Magical Law_'. You're helping him with his trial?" snarled Ron, glaring up from the thick textbook at Draco.

"Malfoy, can you wait upstairs?" asked Hermione calmly. He wrenched the book out of Ron's hands, before glaring at him furiously and walking up the stairs without a word. He passed the hole in the wall from earlier, and Hermione imagined him punching another one in effortlessly. Thankfully he didn't do that, and was gone within moments and she turned to Ron and Harry coldly.

"Yes, I'm making sure he doesn't end up in Azkaban, is that a crime?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"He deserves to be in Azkaban-"

"No he doesn't!"

"You heard Kingsley, Lucius Malfoy has committed crimes-"

"Stop judging him by what his father has done! Not everyone end up exactly like their parents!" Hermione hissed.

"Well he's already a Death Eater, so he's heading in the right direction-" spat Ron angrily.

"And do you really think he wanted that? Do you really think he could have said, '_no thanks Voldemort, I'd rather not_'-" argued Hermione, her voice laced with sarcasm and fury.

"I don't care about what he wanted, you can't change the past Hermione!" Ron yelled furiously.

"I'm not trying to change the past, I'm changing the future-"

"And you think him going free will be a better future? You think _he_ would do the same for _you_, if the situation was in reverse?" demanded Ron, glaring down at her. There was a long pause as Hermione glared back, suddenly loathing what she used to call a friend.

"It doesn't matter who I'm helping, if I can save an innocent life from years of anguish and torment in a place like Azkaban, I'll do it. Sorry for being _compassionate_, Ron, but that's just who I am. I thought you already knew that," she snarled, not wanting to even look at him any more. She turned on her heel and began climbing the stairs, without looking back or waiting for a reply. As she passed the hole in the wall, she had a sudden impulse to punch something with all her strength. No doubt this was exactly how Draco had felt earlier. But unlike him, it would probably be her delicate hand which got broken, not the wall, so she just kept stomping up the stairs.

She couldn't understand why Ron was being so damn difficult with everything. She'd always known that he was easily jealous, easily provoked by other people. And yes, he could easily just hate someone without even knowing them - he automatically disliked all of Ginny's boyfriends when they were younger. And all three of them had always hated Draco Malfoy, more than anyone else. But they'd always known that Malfoy wasn't a murderer, they knew he was being forced into everything. They knew he didn't have any choice in his fate, whether he lived or died was entirely up to Voldemort. Why then, would Ron say that Malfoy deserved to be in Azkaban? It was such an unfair, even cruel thing to say.

'_You think he would do the same for you, if the situation was in reverse?_'

The words echoed in the back of her mind. That was probably the only thing that made any sense, and perhaps that was what motivated Ron to be so against helping Malfoy. If the situation was in reverse, she doubted Malfoy would do anything to help her. But she also doubted whether he would have any choice in the matter anyway. He wouldn't be _allowed_ to help her. If he even voiced his opinion in front of Voldemort, he would have been _Avada Kedavra'd_ without a second thought. And in a way, he'd already proven what he would do if the situation was in reverse. Only weeks ago, he dropped his wand, too scared and afraid to act, when he'd been ordered to kill her. Just like he hadn't been able to kill Dumbledore the year before that. And he had helped her escape Malfoy Manor as well, so she already had the answer to Ron's question.

Yes, he would do the same for her, indirectly. He would refuse to kill her, he would help her escape. He had already done these things. '_He only helped you escape so that he could escape too_,' said a voice in the back of her head. That made sense too, he _was_ a Slytherin after all. Everything he did had a reason, which usually involved himself benefiting. Hermione mentally shook herself - none of this even mattered. Why he decided to do the things he's done, and the reasoning behind them, was a mystery. It didn't matter because he didn't deserve to go to Azkaban, and she was just making sure he didn't get sent there. That's all she was doing, nothing else. Plain and simple. End of story. Kind of.

* * *

Later that night, a pensieve was placed on the living room table, and lots of Ministry officials were standing by and watching. The silence and tension in the room was paramount, and there were more than forty, maybe fifty people there. Harry and Ron were there of course, with the rest of the Order. Even Hermione and Draco - who had been heavily researching Magical Law for the past few hours - had left their room to witness the event. Severus Snape was standing in front of the table, and he was handed a vial of Veritaserum and ordered to drink it. His dark, passive black eyes swept around the room and fell on Draco for a few moments. It was as though they were speaking with their eyes, and then suddenly Snape looked away and drank the truth potion. After being interrogated rapidly by multiple Auror's and Order members, and answering truthfully to everything, he was given a wand cautiously. He used it to pull the memories from his temple, and he pushed the swirling, slightly transparent white material down into the pensieve. This was his grand evidence, to prove that he had been on Dumbledore's side for over seventeen years. Draco, personally, couldn't believe that Snape was really going to try and prove it. He knew that Snape was a damn good spy, and a brilliant - if not the Master - Occlumens, but he didn't think he was _this_ good. Nevertheless, Kingsley Shackelbolt, the Head Auror and Minister for Magic, was first to plunge himself head-first into the pensieve of memories. He returned, only minutes later, looking shocked and surprisingly, very convinced. He looked at Snape in awe, seemingly speechless, and then nodded to the man beside him. One after the other, important Ministry officials and Wizengamot court members delved into the memories and returned thoroughly convinced. After what seemed like ages of not knowing what the actual memories _were_ - to everyone else's annoyance - there was a heavy discussion between the Wizengamot high council. After a second interrogation, in which Snape once again drank more Veritaserum, they had an official vote. In the end - after over an hour and a half, that is - he was announced free of _all_ charges.

* * *

Hours later, Snape was standing outside The Burrow in the darkness, reflecting on the past. Everything had ended according to plan, everything had ended as Dumbledore had said it would. And thankfully, he hadn't been killed or locked up in the process. He'd proven his limitless courage and sacrifice for the greater good. No doubt he'd be all over the Daily Prophet now, no doubt his name was going to be put down in the history books for it all. But Snape didn't care about the fame and fortune that came with being such a hero - and yes, '_hero_' was one of the many words used to describe Harry Potter first, and now himself. He was just glad that Voldemort was no longer alive, that Harry Potter had lived and that he was free from it all. The only reason he'd protected Harry in the beginning, was because of his love for Lily Potter. He'd always disliked Harry - that much was obvious - but he'd done his job, not for anyone else but Lily. Even if she wasn't around to see it.

As for the memories he'd revealed to the Ministry, they were only memories of himself, Dumbledore, protecting Harry, lying to Voldemort countless times. Everything else involving Lily he'd kept to himself. The memories simply proved that he'd been on the right side - the most obvious one, of course, was Dumbledore asking Snape to kill him when the time was right. This showed that even in Dumbledore's death, Snape had continued loyally for the greater good. Even when he was considered a murderer by the entire wizarding world, he'd continued to do what was right. An immense amount of pride and success flowed through Snape. If it hadn't been for him, Voldemort probably wouldn't have ever been defeated.

But there was still one more thing to complete. He still had memories that he needed to reveal to someone. Harry Potter deserved the truth about his mother and father. He deserved the truth that yes, his father _was_ an overconfident git at Hogwarts, and yes, his mother was... well. The memories would explain the rest. Perhaps they would give him a better understanding of why Snape was the way he was. And Snape doubted that he, himself, would ever change. What else did he have to live for? He'd lost the only woman he loved, Lily Potter. He'd lost his oldest and greatest friend, Albus Dumbledore. The worst part is, it was his own fault that they were both dead. He'd indirectly killed Lily due to his actions, and he'd directly and personally murdered Dumbledore, due to his orders.

And the reality of it all was, of course, tearing him apart. It had been tearing him apart for over seventeen years now. The only reason he'd stayed alive and fighting since Lily's death was to protect her ungrateful son. And all of this was over - Harry Potter had lived, Voldemort had died, and the two most important people in Snape's life were gone too. He no longer had any true purpose, which left him feeling rather empty.

The only things left were to give Harry the truth about his parents, and the truth about Snape's long, sad and depressing past. He'd also help Draco with his trial - no doubt the young wizard was scared out of his wits from it all. Snape was incredibly surprised three weeks ago when he'd escaped with the Granger girl. But then, that was to be expected - the know-it-all Granger _always_ had the solution to any problem. As Bellatrix had screeched countless times, it was the house elf Dobby. Genius.

Or maybe he wouldn't have to bother helping Draco with his trial, since the Granger girl had apparently beaten him to it. That was a very curious thing. Snape found himself pondering on the unusual turn of events between the two of them. First they escape together, spend three weeks together doing god knows what - although Snape guessed it involved the horcruxes - and Granger had apparently managed to perform his counter-curse to save Draco's life the night he arrived. And now she was helping him with his trial. They appeared to be friends. Funny, how a muggle-born and a pureblood, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, a pair of opposites, could appear so good together. Lily had been a muggle-born and a Gryffindor, therefore all of this reminded him painfully of his childhood, of Lily when they were young friends. Of Lily before he'd ruined his chances and became a Death Eater.

It seemed like Draco had been blessed with a second chance. Something he'd never gotten, Snape bitterly realized. Draco had better not put it to waste.

Well, this was Snape's plan for the future. Give Harry the memories of Lily, to give him the truth about both his parents and what they were like. Give Draco guidance on his trial. And then he'd return to Hogwarts, to live out the rest of his days as a teacher, as a Slytherin. After the events of the war, and the fall of Voldemort, the Slytherin students would definitely need someone to look out for them. The other houses at Hogwarts wouldn't be so forgiving.

* * *

**Reader questions:**

- What do you think of Snape being free? Do you want more parts of George and the Order, or do you want Draco and Hermione to go to Hogwarts sooner?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	21. Chapter 21

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

The event with Snape had happened during the night, and shortly after that Draco and Hermione had gone to bed. It only took that day for them to have covered pretty much everything to do with his trial. It was obvious that he would be fine, though - not only because he hadn't committed any heavy or direct crimes, but also because of Kingsley's influence in the Ministry. Plus the fact that he was still young, and his mother was promised to be cleared of all charges, since she was innocent. And also because there were multiple eye-witnesses who saw him refuse to kill Hermione, proving that he wasn't on Voldemort's side, and that he was good by nature. Hermione was confident that he would be fine. Regardless of this, the next morning during breakfast, they were back up in his room surrounded by books again.

"What do you think of last night? With Snape?" asked Hermione curiously, sitting opposite him on the bed. Books and plates of breakfast lay scattered out between them, and the window was open, letting fresh morning air inside. To Draco, it was a very pleasant feeling. A feeling of complete freedom, to just relax and talk to someone who he considered a friend. Even though they had not admitted it to each other - there was a wordless, mutual acknowledgement that they were friends now.

"To be honest, I was surprised. All along I thought that the joke was on Dumbledore, the '_old fool_' as the Death Eaters called him. But..." Draco trailed off, scratching his chin.

"Snape had been with Dumbledore from the very beginning. The joke was on Voldemort," finished Hermione in wonder. The Slytherin in front of her flinched at the Dark Lord's name slightly, and immediately regretted it. He felt like a weakling. He probably looked like a weakling too, and she'd noticed it.

"He's not around anymore, Malfoy. There's no more taboo. You can say his name - fear of the name only-"

"Only increases fear of the thing itself, I know Granger," finished Draco firmly. He'd heard her say this before, it sounded like something Dumbledore would make up. Hermione was watching him curiously, as if she was sizing him up. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay then, you can either: A - continue reading '_The Wizengamot - A Guide for Beginner's_', or you can: B - say Voldemort's name-"

"Voldemort," drawled Draco in an effortless, almost bored way. He appeared completely unaffected. Hermione was shocked, initially expecting him to refuse, and she just shook her head.

"What?" he asked in mock surprise.

"Your acting skills are _unbelievable_. I'm truly confused," she admitted as she leaned back on her elbows. Draco smirked slightly, taking it as a compliment. The main Slytherin attribute - cunning - often involved sarcasm, deception, lies and acting. All of these things came as naturally as breathing to him.

"I only flinched because you took me by surprise earlier. I flinched because of the... bad memories that the name brings back," explained Draco casually, but he stiffened slightly as he announced that particular truth. Hermione could see right through him at that moment, and she leaned forwards slowly. The subject of Voldemort obviously brought back horrific, nightmarish memories - possibly the worst memories of Draco's life - and yet he could still force himself to speak about it effortlessly. He was speaking and acting indifferent, but in reality she could see him stiffen, see his eyes go cold as he visualised his greatest fears and worst memories. In a strange, personal way, it was very brave.

"See something you like?" asked Draco sarcastically, looking slightly amused. She realized that she'd been staring at him, and blushed deeply.

"Sorry its just - interesting," said Hermione quickly, with a nervous smile as she looked down at the book in her lap.

"Might be interesting on the outside, but on the _inside_ it certainly isn't," Draco muttered bitterly, as he looked outside the window. To him, the inside was filled with exactly what Hermione described. Horrific and nightmarish memories of death, torture, dark magic, psychopathic murderers, being branded with the Dark Mark, watching his parents suffer, and being forced to do things against his will. It was perhaps the main reason he'd been so angry when she touched his Dark Mark, because it vividly brought everything back.

"No, the inside is intriguing and mysterious," corrected Hermione, glancing up at him slyly.

"Not mine," replied Draco after a pause. They were making eye contact, and they both had an idea of where the conversation was leading. Draco knew that she would want to know more about his sixth year, more about how and why he tried but couldn't kill Dumbledore, what he thought about his parents and Snape, what it felt like to have the Dark Mark permanently imprinted into his left forearm. Perhaps she'd want to know why he couldn't kill her. They both wanted to talk about Hogwarts, why Hermione wanted to go and why Draco didn't want to. What they were going to do after his trial, and after he went back to Malfoy Manor. Would they still be friends? Would they owl each other? Would they see each other again, at Hogwarts or years later? Their favourite book, favourite colour, favourite game, sport, music, pet. What they wanted to be when they grow up, what they wanted to accomplish, their past. There was so much that they didn't know about each other. They were still so very different. But none of that mattered. Her long wavy brown hair fell past her shoulders, and the breeze from the window caused it to flicker and move gently. Her soft lips were curved into a subtle smile. She looked so beautiful, so perfect, that it was practically impossible to look away. He was entranced, all that mattered was that very moment, as he stared into her warm, deep brown eyes..

And then the door opened.

"Hermione! Oh my god, it's been _AGES_! I've got so much to-" began Ginny Weasley as she saw Hermione, but she stopped suddenly at the sight of Draco Malfoy sitting at the far end of the bed against the wall.

"Tell me? Hey Ginny," finished Hermione after a few moments. It had been very difficult to tear her eyes away from Draco's and look at her best girlfriend, but she did her best to act casual about the whole situation. It wasn't easy though, because her mind was still dwelling uncontrollably on the guy in front of her.

"So its true? Harry told me that _he_ was here," Ginny said abruptly, her cold and rude tone of voice blatantly obvious.

"Are you two going to have your little reunion outside, or shall I leave?" snapped Draco with equal rudeness. His glare was like ice as he shot daggers at Ginny. Hermione was completely taken aback by his change of expression, mood and personality.

"_You_ shouldn't even be here, how _dare_ you - this happens to be Percy, my big brothers old room!" began Ginny angrily, her eyes blazing with dislike. Draco didn't even bother to argue with the youngest Weasley, she had a temper to match her idiotic older brother. It was a complete waste of his time, so he got up and headed for the door without another word.

"Wait Malfoy! I'll... be out in a minute," said Hermione sympathetically. She hated it when everyone acted so hostile towards him, and he was constantly having to avoid conflicts. Especially when they were in such a close conversation, he was finally being honest, it was actually beginning to get intimate. Why did Ginny have to arrive at that exact moment? Hermione snapped out of her thoughts as Draco nodded curtly before leaving and closing the door behind himself.

"You'll be _out in a minute_?" mimicked Ginny with a raised eyebrow, now directing her attitude towards Hermione. She saw the books and breakfast plates, and the comfortable way the two of them had been sitting on the bed together. The open window, and the bright, sunlit, colourful atmosphere of the room. It all looked very pleasant.

"Ginny, I know you still think he's an arrogant git-" began Hermione with a heavy sigh.

"'_Still think_'? So what, you're suggesting that he's _changed_? Didn't you hear the way he _spoke_ to me-?" said Ginny incredulously as she jumped onto the bed and got comfortable. _Great_, thought Hermione. The world of gossip has returned.

"He hasn't really changed, he's just... I guess I understand him a bit more. He's still the same as he used to be, but in a good way. Don't look at me like that Ginny - trust me, if you were stuck with him for more than three weeks straight, you'd get what I mean. It's complicated," finished Hermione lamely. She decided that that was all she would be admitting for now.

"Oh gosh yes, I heard that you got captured by snatchers? By yourself? And you escaped? You'll have to tell me everything! But no matter what that ferret is like, I probably won't like him. But tell me about him too!" insisted Ginny eagerly. Hermione rolled her eyes, without even realizing how similar it was to the way Draco did it.

"Okay I'll tell you everything, but lets go down to your room first. And I need to help Malfoy with his trial too," said Hermione firmly as she got up. She decided it would be nice to go downstairs into the pink room and let Draco back into his room, so he wouldn't be standing in the hallway for a few hours.

"He has a trial? At the Ministry? Like, with the other Death Eaters? Wow, he really _is_ bad," continued Ginny, bombarding her with question after question. They passed Draco back on the first floor, where he was standing passively at the bottom of the stairs and trying to blend in with the crowd. When Hermione walked passed, she smiled in apology and indicated that he could go upstairs. In silent understanding and agreement, he nodded and headed back to the upstairs room, gratefully avoiding conversation with any Ministry workers. It was going to be a long couple of hours of talking with Ginny, but Hermione was excited despite herself. At last she'd have someone to talk to who _wasn't_ Harry, Ron or Draco - the only three people she'd been socialising with for weeks and months now. But she was still thinking of Draco, and planned on using his '_trial_' as an excuse to talk to him more. It was an excuse because they'd already covered everything on Magical Law within a few hours. He would be fine in his trial, and they both knew it. But they also both knew that the only way they'd be able to talk to each other, was with a very important excuse.

Hermione smiled slightly as she realized that she was scheming and planning ahead. Planning to lie, pretend and act like she was busy working on his trial. When secretly, all she was really interested in was him. It felt strangely... Slytherin.

* * *

Since Voldemort had finally been defeated, there had been massive progress at The Burrow and the Ministry. Once Hermione had finally pried herself away from Ginny hours later, she quickly took the latest Daily Prophet and ran upstairs with it. She found Draco lying on his bed reading one of her Magical Law books, but he put it down as soon as she walked in.

"You won't believe how much has happened in the past two days, look how thick the Daily Prophet is," said Hermione in excitement as she handed the newspaper - or small book - to Draco, who began reading immediately. The newspaper was indeed much larger than it usually was, and Hermione moved beside him on the bed to read it at the same time, even though she'd already read it. It showed probably the best news she'd ever seen in her life. First of all, there was a massive feature article on the end of the war, which filled the first few pages of the newspaper. It was full of pictures, details and interviews with various people. But the point was clear - Voldemort was dead and the war was finally over. The next few pages was all on Kingsley becoming the new Minister for Magic, with lots of pictures and quotes from him. The next pages sickened Draco - there were Death Eaters on the run. The list went on for a while, and it was clear that the Ministry still had a lot of work to do. The two names that struck Draco however, were Amycus and Alecto Carrow. Obviously they had escaped Hogwarts and lived to tell the tale. That certainly wasn't good news. The page after that showed Death Eaters, snatchers and other criminals who'd been caught and who'd faced trial and their sentences. Draco quickened his pace, reading the names rapidly. He saw Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, Yaxley, Travers, Selwyn, Rookwood, Rowle, Nott's father, Crabbe and Goyle's fathers, Mulciber, Macnair, Greyback, Scabior, Dolohov, Pettigrew, Avery... the list went on, and on, and on. He saw some names that even he hadn't heard before, and he was a Death Eater himself. Obviously Voldemort had a lot more recruits than he let on, though. At last his eyes fell on the name he'd been searching for.

_'Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater for twenty-four years, use of the Cruciatus Curse and torture on muggle-born family on one account, use of the Imperius Curse on two accounts (Sturgis Podmore and Broderick Bode), participated in Quidditch World Cup attack, led the attack on the Department of Mysteries, previously escaped Azkaban, multiple accounts of political bribery and manipulation. Sentenced to one year in Azkaban, followed by ten years of magically enforced probation.'_

One year. Only one year in Azkaban. Draco knew that he should be grateful for it, he should even go and thank Kingsley right now for helping his father. If it weren't for the new Minister for Magic's influence, his father would have probably been left in Azkaban to rot with the other Death Eaters for the rest of his life, even though he hadn't killed anyone.

"Magically enforced probation?" asked Draco uncertainly, forcing his voice to be calm. He could feel Hermione's sympathetic eyes piercing into him, but he refused to look at her.

"It just means that he will be under magical supervision. The Ministry will be watching his every move, and if he commits any crimes during the probation he'll be sent back to Azkaban for the remainder of his probational time," explained Hermione, watching his reaction, "ten years is a long time, but at least he'll be free and the probation sentence will protect him from other Death Eater influences."

There was silence after that, as Draco just stared at the page expressionlessly, his grey eyes dull and empty. He continued down the list of names, and found the names of people who had faced trial and were only sentenced minor punishments. It also had the names of people who still had to face trial in the next few days. He felt his heart leap when he saw his mothers name.

_'Narcissa Malfoy, wife and mother of two Death Eaters (Lucius and Draco Malfoy), sister and sister-in-law of two Death Eaters (Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange), aunt of Order of the Phoenix member (Nymphadora Tonks). Although heavily related with Death Eaters, she is not one herself, has taken to part in any Death Eater activities, has shown no loyalty or enthusiasm towards the Dark Arts, and has suffered severely for the past two years. Sentenced to one year of magically enforced probation.'_

He felt his eyes beginning to sting as he read the description, and saw his own name directly below his mothers.

_'Draco Malfoy, Death Eater for one year (youngest Death Eater recorded, had Dark Mark during sixth year of Hogwarts), use of the Cruciatus Curse and torture on two accounts (Thorfinn Rowle and Harry Potter), cruel treatment to multiple prisoners at Malfoy Manor (John Ollivander, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, goblin Griphook and Hermione Granger), ordered and failed to assassinate Albus Dumbledore (rumoured), ordered and failed to murder Hermione Granger (rumoured). Sentenced to face trial on the 22nd of June, rumoured to a minimum of five years magically enforced probation. (For more information on the Malfoy family, turn to page 17)'_

The entirety of the situation seemed to crash down on him, bombarding him with depressing thoughts. He wouldn't see his father again for another year, unless he got to visit at Azkaban. And after that year, his father would probably never be the same again. Azkaban seemed to affect him far worse than anyone else Draco had met, no doubt because he had already ran out of happy memories. His father had been a mess ever since he got out of Azkaban the first time, and it became evident while Voldemort was staying at Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy was drained, worn and defeated, both physically and mentally. Azkaban would simply take away the last spark of happiness and decency left in the once proud man that he used to be. It was also known world-wide that he had attempted to assassinate Dumbledore, that he'd used Crucio on both Rowle and Potter, and even that he'd failed to kill Hermione? And cruel treatment to prisoners? Half of the details were left completely out. He felt disgusted and alienated because of it all.

"Malfoy? Are you okay?" asked Hermione, watching him in concern. He didn't know what his expression looked like, but it was probably sad. Maybe depressed. Maybe angry. Or perhaps he was crying, he couldn't tell - he'd lost control of his emotions around her, which was becoming more and more frequent.

"I'm fine. This is just... overwhelming," said Draco quietly, staring at the list of names.

"Don't worry about it. They've exaggerated half of the details anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if Rita Skeeter helped write this. You didn't even try to kill me, you dropped your wand. And you didn't torture Harry either - he was the one who caused fatal harm to you. You weren't cruel to the prisoners either - me, Dean and Luna will defend you in court-" Hermione went on relentlessly, but he interrupted her.

"They exaggerated half, but got the other half right. I've tortured people before. I did try to kill Dumbledore - you've got no idea how hard I tried, Granger. I had the Dark Mark our entire sixth year..." said Draco, feeling ashamed and embarrassed all over again. He got up from the bed and walked over to the desk, leaning heavily against it with his eyes closed. He heard Hermione gingerly get up from the bed as well, and move over to him.

"You mean, Thorfinn Rowle was actually-?" she asked quietly.

"A Death Eater. I was ordered to torture him for his punishment," he answered bitterly, opening his eyes to look at her.

"V-Voldemort ordered you, instead of doing it himself? That _monster_-" Hermione hissed angrily.

"Granger whether I was ordered or not, I still did it. I've used the Cruciatus and Imperius curse - two Unforgivables - in the past-"

"You were forced to do these things-"

"But I still did them! It's official, written in paper for the entire world to see! Whether I like it or not, I'm an attempted murderer and I always will be now!" Draco shouted angrily.

"You haven't killed anyone! If Voldemort had my parents and threatened to kill them in front of me, I would do _anything_ - even terrible things - to keep them safe. Everyone are capable of evil things if they're forced to-" argued Hermione as she moved closer to him.

"You don't understand Granger! You have no idea what this feels like!" shouted Draco as he pushed off the desk and pointed at the newspaper on the bed.

"Then help me understand!" said Hermione exasperatedly, suddenly realizing how close they were standing. There was a pause after what she'd said, as they stared at each other and Draco considered continuing the conversation. It was already getting out of hand though, and he didn't want to reveal anymore about his feelings and his past. Thinking about it personally was hard enough - saying it aloud was even worse. But Hermione was the only person willing to give him a chance, and it was becoming more and more easy to be honest with her. After keeping the emotions bottled up since his sixth year with no-one to confide with, talking to someone he could trust helped immensely. Before he could say anything further, they heard an awkward _'ahem'_ from the doorway. They'd raised their voices and been so focused on each other, they hadn't heard or seen the person open the door. There stood Harry, watching them uncomfortably. They sprung apart, once again realizing how close they'd been standing.

"Gosh Harry - couldn't you have knocked?" asked Hermione in emarrassment, blushing as she glanced at Draco, who was even more ashamed and furious at everything.

"I did knock, you mustn't have heard. Can I speak to you for a moment, though?" Harry asked, indicating for her to follow him into the hallway. Hermione nodded, taking one last glance at Draco before leaving the room and closing the door behind herself. They walked along the hallway until they were just out of earshot, before Harry turned to look at her. He once again had that awkward, uncomfortable expression.

"I heard everything," he began shortly, running a hand through his messy black hair. He seemed to be struggling to say something more important.

"And?" Hermione inquired curiously.

"And he isn't the only one who's feeling bad at the moment. You still haven't forgiven me for using Snape's curse. If you hadn't healed Malfoy, he might have died, and I would have never been able to forgive myself for that. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have ever found all the horcruxes either. I owe you more than you can imagine, Hermione," said Harry sincerely. He continued quickly.

"And I just wanted to say thanks. It's also thanks to Malfoy that you're here - after all, he didn't kill you and he helped you escape in the first place. Even if it was to save his own neck, he still did it. And I owe him an apology for cursing him too, and after hearing what you two were arguing about... I have something to tell you. In our fifth year, Sirius said to me, _'The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.'_ Regulus Black was a Death Eater and he sacrificed himself trying to destroy the locket, remember? And Snape had been on Dumbledore's side from the very beginning. Even though Malfoy and his parents are still massive gits, and I'll always hate them, they aren't evil people. I just want you to know that even though Ron's getting a little carried away, I'm not going to get in anymore fights. Just remember what Sirius said, mention it to Malfoy. Consider that my apology."

After he'd said all of this, he let out a breath of relief. Hermione hugged him and smiled - _this_ was the Harry she'd always remembered, and that was definitely worth more than her forgiveness.

* * *

**Reader questions:**

- Did you find Harry's apology believable? What is your favourite part of this chapter?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	22. Chapter 22

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"Ron come on, let it drop. Once the ferret's done his trial he'll be gone," said Harry tiredly, after hearing another one of Ron's angry rants.

"He better be gone. It's on the 22nd right? Just two more days," Ron muttered as he paced up and down the kitchen. They were having lunch, and they'd been talking about Hermione quite a lot for the past few days. The end of the war should have been a bright, happy and positive time, perhaps the best time of their lives. They should be celebrating, spending every day with their best friends. But with Malfoy in the mix, things were just complicated and tense for the Gryffindor's.

"And besides, there's no point in fighting with Hermione over Malfoy. He's not worth it," continued Harry casually. Despite the fact that he'd apologized to Hermione just before, he didn't like Malfoy any more than the next Gryffindor. He only apologized for Hermione's sake, and he couldn't wait for things to go back to normal again too.

"But why does she like him-?" growled Ron in frustration.

"She doesn't _like_ him, she just wants to help him," insisted Harry firmly.

"How do you know that?" asked Ron, looking at him hopelessly.

"I told you before, I went up to apologize to her. They were having a massive argument," explained Harry, and this seemed to lighten Ron's mood a little.

"Really? About what?" he asked quickly.

"I didn't hear what they were saying, but they were shouting at each other," Harry said, knowing that this was a lie. If anything, their fight had probably brought them closer together than before. Harry just hoped that for all their sakes, Hermione stayed with her true friends. It was almost like Viktor Krum all over again, and Ron really hated Krum after the Yule Ball in their fourth year. Back then there was heaps of fighting between Ron and Hermione, and it seemed like they would never be friends again. Harry wished that this didn't happen a second time. Just like in all the other years of Hogwarts, he'd often been stuck in the middle of the other two's arguments and fights - it was starting to happen again. Only this time he was more on the side of Ron, because he hated Malfoy to the very core. But he didn't want to choose sides, because he wanted to stay friends with Hermione. The whole situation frustrated him. He would just have to do his best to keep their friendship alive, no matter what, for as long as possible.

* * *

"As you know Malfoy, your trial is in two days. I was originally going to have Ollivander be your witness and defence for the whole _'Malfoy Manor prisoners'_ scandal in the Prophet, but since he has... passed away, I was thinking that Hermione should take his place. Hermione was also there during your entire sixth year, so it makes sense for her to be a vital witness. Myself and Snape have also volunteered to be your defence on the day as well - you'll be fine, I'm sure. After your trial you will be able to see both of your parents, and return home," Kingsley informed Draco and Hermione in the living room, with a rather cheerful smile. It should have been a cheerful moment, the fact that Draco and his mother would be free after everything that had happened in the war. But in reality, his father being in Azkaban simply ruined anything positive about the situation. Draco just nodded to confirm it, and shortly afterwards they had returned to their room on the third floor.

"Are you nervous?" asked Hermione curiously, as soon as they were alone again. Her question was mostly about his trial, and about his parents. He was becoming more and more anxious as he got closer to being able to see them again, after nearly four weeks of being separated and in danger.

"No," Draco lied casually, although his eyes flickered to the Daily Prophet on the desk on the other side of the room anxiously. Hermione smiled a bit, obviously noticing his expression and knowing that he was lying. It was becoming harder for him to hide his expression and lie - perhaps he was spending too much time with Gryffindor's. Either way, he hated it when she read him like an open book.

"Well, your trial will be fine, especially with me as a witness, Kinglsey said it himself," said Hermione confidently. Draco smiled slightly at that - he'd never admit it, but he was very grateful that she was going to be there during the trial. He also knew that after the trial, he'd be going home with his mother and it'd be nearly impossible to see Hermione again, apart from Hogwarts. In reality, he really only had two more days of seeing her and talking to her, before he'd be alone and stuck back at Malfoy Manor again. And at Hogwarts they would be separated anyway. He couldn't tell if this was a good or bad thing... it was good, because his parents would never approve of a friendship with a mudblood, so perhaps it was best if they didn't see each other again. But it was bad, because he could no longer deny the fact that he liked her. Just thinking about the trial made him ache slightly, as he realized how much he would miss her afterwards. One part of him wanted time to go faster so that he could see his parents again and live an almost-normal life, but another part of him wanted time to stop completely so he could just stay where he was, with Her-

"Malfoy, are you okay?" asked Hermione curiously.

"I'm fine - I'm just thinking about the trial," Draco muttered quickly, rubbing his eyes.

"And... what will happen after it?" Hermione continued, as she was thinking the same things. He just nodded in reply.

"Me too. But don't worry about it - you can't know what's going to happen until after the trial anyway," Hermione shrugged.

"I suppose. I still can't help but think about how depressing life is going to become, though," said Draco gloomily. There was a long pause as Hermione watched him sympathetically, but before she could say anything there was a brief nock at the door. They both looked over at it curiously, wondering who would come upstairs to see them. A second later and Hermione had gracefully walked over and opened it, holding in a gasp when she saw who it was.

"Snape?" said the two students in equal surprise.

"It isn't polite to stare, miss Granger-" Snape began sarcastically.

"S-sorry, I'm just surprised," said Hermione, as she took a step back and let her old Potions Master into the room.

"I'm also surprised to find you in Draco's room. How... intriguing," Snape said slowly, with a raise of his eyebrow.

"I-"

"She's just helping me with my trial, Kingsley made her a witness," replied Draco casually.

"So I heard. Have you covered everything? You're prepared for it?" asked Snape, getting nods from both of them. Once that was confirmed he seemed rather satisfied and didn't have much else to say. Draco felt as though he was back in his sixth year, because Snape had constantly asked him how he was going to kill Dumbledore. He'd been trying to help back then, and he was still trying to help even now. He wondered whether his mother had asked Snape to do this, or perhaps the Head of Slytherin house really did care about his students. Either way, Draco was glad for the extra help and support.

"Sir, will you be returning to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione curiously, unable to contain the question that she was undoubtedly going to ask every teacher. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I will. And I expect you both in my Advanced Potions class - this generation of students is seriously lacking competence," Snape drawled.

"You expect me? Screw Potions, its useless. I'm not going, I've already said this," Draco said stubbornly. Ever since Professor McGonagall had suggested that he would be going to Hogwarts whether he liked it or not, he had been dreading it. Like he'd already said to Hermione - all of the students would think he was a murderer and a Death Eater. He would be hated from all angles, perhaps even by the Slytherin's too if they found out that he'd befriended a mudblood Gryffindor. It was going to be a tough, difficult year to get through. The only bonus to it would be getting away from Malfoy Manor and all the bad memories for as long as possible. And perhaps the fact that Hermione would be there. But she was in Gryffindor, so he'd never get to be her friend inside the castle. He would be very much alone there, and he'd do anything to avoid going.

"Miss Granger, could you give us a moment?" said Snape, as he glared at Draco.

"Of course," said Hermione quietly as she headed for the door and left. Once they were alone, the two Slytherin's stared at each other unhappily.

"Why are you acting like a child? Hogwarts is the best place for you to be-" Snape snapped, effectively breaking the silence.

"No, it's the last place for me to be. Forget it, you wouldn't even understand," muttered Draco frustratedly from the bed.

"I understand more than you might think. I get it, no one will like you, you'll be bullied, you won't be _'popular'_ anymore. That's life, you need to deal with it-" said Snape harshly.

"There's more to it than that! School is a waste of bloody time, no-one will give a fuck about my marks in Charms class, I'll never get anywhere because of my reputation!" Draco ranted angrily.

"You'll never get anywhere without good marks, period. You think you're the only one who's been through this? How do you think me and your father survived after the first wizarding war?" Snape challenged him.

"You lied, that's how. And then you went running back to the Dark Lord the moment he came back. I can't lie, and I've got no where to run, so don't act like you understand-"

"Exactly, you have no where to run. The Ministry has every right, and every reason to send you to Hogwarts. Stop pitying yourself and accept it," Snape said unwaveringly.

"Why the hell did you even come here?" demanded Draco furiously, having had quite enough of being insulted by his old mentor.

"I came here because your mother is hysterical, your father won't be around, and you need my help-"

"I don't need anyone's help-"

"Well the rest of the Slytherin's will need help, you know what Hogwarts is like. You'll be the oldest Slytherin student, the rest of them will look up to you. Believe it or not, but I actually care about my house Draco, that's why I always favourited it-"

"You can care all you like, I don't give a damn-" Draco spat openly, as he crossed his arms.

"You'd better start caring, because you _will_ be on the train to Hogwarts in two months time. The Ministry has probably already decided your sentence. You're right, it won't be an easy year and you will probably dread every moment of it. Therefore you'll need my help, and you'll need your houses help. My point is, you have to accept this and start preparing for it now. Otherwise you're in for a horrible year, and I know how that feels," finished Snape in a brutally honest tone of voice. While he was saying all of this, he remembered his own experiences at Hogwarts with James Potter and the other Gryffindor's. Snape had had his own fair share of bullying, fights and absolutely loathing school. Back when he was Draco's age, there was plenty of inter-house feuds, hostility and hatred. He feared that it would be even worse - far worse - in the coming year. With the war just ended, Voldemort being dead and most - if not _all_ - of the locked up Death Eaters being from Slytherin origin, the Slytherin house was going to have a very bad name. Stereotypes and discrimination would be everywhere, insults would turn into fights in the corridors, and fights would turn into hate. It was inevitable, and even Snape feared how it would unfold. If he was going to remain a teacher for the rest of his life, he wasn't going to spend it stopping duels in the hallways and wasting his time giving out detentions. Draco still hadn't replied to him, and remained with his arms crossed, silently fuming over his unfortunate fate.

"Your... relationship with miss Granger is rather interesting, I must say-" began Snape casually.

"There's nothing going on between us," said Draco quickly, without thinking. There was a long silence as Snape just stared at him with an amused smirk. He'd been working with Voldemort for over seventeen years, and he'd known Draco since he was only a child. He could spot a lie without even trying, and it was so blatantly obvious that Draco was lying. It reminded him of himself when he was that age, and when he'd loved Lily. He constantly lied to his Slytherin friends at Hogwarts, saying that she was only a mudblood - but deep down she was always more than that. Snape wondered what he should say to Draco now, since the young Slytherin was in such a familiar situation. The silence lengthened.

"What on earth are you staring at? She's just a mudblood-" Draco continued, hoping against hope that the professor didn't know what was going on.

"You're an excellent liar, Draco, but you aren't good enough to fool me. If you want my advice, keep the blood-related insults to a minimum when you get to Hogwarts - you'll need friends like her more than you think," Snape informed him casually.

"What do you know about all of this?" asked Draco curiously.

"Everything you're going through, I've already gone through it. I made horrible mistakes Draco, mistakes that can ruin lives. Narcissa has asked me to look out for you, and that's exactly what I'm doing-"

"You can't tell her-"

"Tell her what?" asked Snape indifferently.

"Whatever you know, you can't tell my mother," Draco insisted.

"I'm not telling your mother anything. I'm just giving you guidance, like I did in your sixth year. And unlike your sixth year, I suggest you listen to my advice this time," said Snape urgently. They both vividly remembered Draco's sixth year, when he had the mission to kill Dumbledore. For the whole year he'd been trying to do it alone, and he'd avoided Snape the entire time. This was for two reasons - he thought that Snape was trying to steal his glory, and if Draco wasn't the one to do it, he and his parents would be punished. That was correct too, because he and his parents _were_ punished after he failed to kill Dumbledore. But ever since, he'd still been overwhelmingly grateful towards Snape for taking his place. There was a long pause as they both remembered all of this. Draco sighed and nodded, to show that he would accept and listen to Snape's advice from then on.

"Good. I'd better be going, but before I leave - your trial, just relax and let Kingsley and I do all of the talking. If they ask you any questions, just be honest-"

"I know, I know, Granger has already told me all of this," assured Draco, wincing slightly when he realized that he was talking about her as if she was his friend. He'd totally forgotten the fact that he would be staked alive by any other Slytherin if they found out that she was even an acquaintance of his. He knew for a fact that his parents would probably disown him, and his friends would kick him out of the Common Room. He'd been alone with Hermione and the Order for not even that long, but already he'd just grown used to her. He'd known about the social rules and pureblood traditions all along, but only now did he realize that he'd have to change the way he spoke and acted about her in front of fellow Slytherin's. At the same time, he was still wishing for time to stop because these last few days at The Burrow were probably going to be his best. After the trial, it would all go downhill. He'd be stuck at Malfoy Manor, without Hermione, dreading the return to Hogwarts for nearly two months. He suddenly found himself wanting to make the most of these last few days.

* * *

Draco spent all of that night and the next morning thinking about the same problems. Well, pretty much just thinking about Hermione and what he was going to do with this messed up life. It was the day before his trial, so he wanted to talk to her about a number of things. Even though neither of them had admitted it, he hoped that they could open up and be proper friends. He wanted to know how much she liked him, because the truth was - he liked her, a lot. She was intelligent, beautiful, unique; and she'd helped, forgiven and accepted him over the past four weeks. Out of everyone else in the Order, she was the only friend he had. He wanted to talk about Hogwarts. He _wanted_ to ask if they could stay in touch over the holidays, and continue being friends... but deep down, he knew that it wouldn't be possible. Not with his parents, not with his reputation, the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses, their friends. It just wouldn't work out, and it would probably cause more harm than good. But this was the problem - this was what he wanted to talk to her about, before it was too late. He felt like she was something incredibly important that he couldn't lose, and this was his last day to sort things out. At the same time, he also wanted to make her promise not to tell anyone at Hogwarts that they'd spent four weeks together, and that he'd helped them stop Voldemort. If the entire school found out about that, he wasn't exactly sure how his fellow Slytherin's would react, but it would only make things harder. And he also had to make sure that his mother didn't find out about their friendship. Blood status was so vitally important to both Narcissa and Lucius, he already had an idea of what the consequences would be if they found out that he was friends with a mudblood. He'd heard many pureblood parents say things along the lines of, _'I'd rather disown my son then have a mudblood in the family,'_ and he feared that it was no different for him. While Narcissa might not be so harsh, he knew that Lucius would definitely threaten to disown him if he was friends with a pretty mudblood girl. Add Azkaban, the war, lack of money and stress to the situation, and yes - finding out that their son liked a mudblood would definitely aggravate his parents.

Despite all of this, he found himself liking Hermione Granger more than anything. Perhaps it had something to do with wanting things we can't have...

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- Do you think that Snape is a realistic character? Do you think that he would want to help Draco?

- Do you like the summary, how could it be improved? Please offer suggestions!

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	23. Chapter 23

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Draco woke up nice and early the next morning, realizing that it was the last day before his trial. He was still thinking about the night before and what he wanted to talk with Hermione about, and he was now determined to get it over with. After checking the time and seeing that it was just past six, he decided to go down and get something to drink now before the rest of the Order woke up. He'd began waking up before everyone else for the past week, because early in the morning was the only time he could avoid Ministry and Order members. It was exceptionally cold so he was making his way down the stairs quickly, when he bumped straight into someone - nearly knocking them down the stairs backwards.

"Watch where you're walking-" Draco snarled as he held the persons arm to stop them from falling just in time.

"Ouch, I nearly fell-!" came a very familiar girls voice.

"_Herm_- um, Granger?" Draco stuttered slightly, after he realized who it was.

"Malfoy!" said Hermione with equal surprise, after she had overcome the initial shock of nearly falling backwards down a flight of stairs. There was a short pause as they stared at each other.

"You know, you can say my name," she continued shyly.

"I can?" asked Draco in bewilderment.

"Why not? It's only a name, we _are_ frien- well," Hermione stopped there and blushed, unsure of what to say next. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure what they were either, and she'd been wondering exactly the same things as he was for the past couple of days. Draco quickly let go of her arm, since she wasn't going to fall anytime soon.

"I've um, been meaning to talk to you about that," explained Draco, as he looked at her closer and realized that she'd probably only just woken up. Her hair was long and messy, and she was wearing a tank top and baggy pants. He couldn't help but notice that no matter how casual she appeared, and even first thing in the morning - she still managed to look unbelievably attractive.

"I was going in for a shower, it's on the second floor," said Hermione, smiling slightly as she indicated just past him to where the bathroom was.

"Oh, sorry-"

"It's fine, I was planning to talk to you too. Your trial is tomorrow, and after that we probably won't see each other for a while..." she trailed off slightly, hoping that he would understand what she meant. Draco nodded in agreement, feeling suddenly nervous about the whole thing. His previous determination to talk to her about staying friends seemed to vanish now that he was standing right in front of her. How could he ask her, if he was in Slytherin? If they were returning to Hogwarts in only two months, how could they remain friends? It seemed ridiculously far-fetched, and he wondered whether he should just say goodbye now and forget about it. He felt foolish for even considering it, because he knew from the very start that his parents - and every Hogwarts student, for that matter - would turn on them and reject them for being friends. He didn't know what to say, and he noticed that Hermione was becoming very good at seeing his hesitation and attempts to lie.

"Malfoy, I know that look. No one's around, no one's listening. Please, just be honest with me," Hermione continued gently as she looked him in the eye. At that, Draco sighed heavily and decided that she was right.

"Okay. I like you," he admitted steadily, "and, I _want_ us to be friends, but it's just..."

"It's just what? I like you too, and we've actually gotten to know each other over the past few weeks. We _are_ friends, there's nothing wrong with that-" said Hermione with ease.

"But there is something wrong with it! How can we stay friends, when Hogwarts is just two months away? What about everyone else-" said Draco, as he began to say all of the things that he'd been worrying about since the night before.

"They have nothing to do with us. If we're friends that's our choice Malfoy, no-one elses," said Hermione with a shrug.

"And what about at Hogwarts, when all of Gryffindor and Slytherin hate us for it?" Draco argued.

"That's their problem, and besides, what can they do? Bully me for being friends with you? I'm already used to insults in the corridors anyway, thanks to - well - you," Hermione admitted awkwardly.

"Sorry," groaned Draco, once again feeling horrible for all the things that he'd done to her. And yet there they were, openly discussing friendship together early in the morning. Hermione smiled briefly at his apology.

"I forgive you. And why should anybody else care if we like each other? It's harmless-"

"It won't be harmless, it'll cause all sorts of problems. Not only with Hogwarts, the Order, Potter and Weasley - but my parents and friends as well. Your parents won't care if you like me, but mine are a different story altogether," muttered Draco as he leaned against the wall.

"Actually, mine will. They might be muggles, but they know everything about Hogwarts. And, I kind of told them about you bullying me during our second year..." said Hermione as she blushed in embarassment.

"Great, that makes it even worse," sighed Draco, rolling his eyes.

"Why does it matter though? You're an adult wizard, what could your parents possibly do-?" asked Hermione in exasperation.

"That's the point Granger, I'm an adult wizard. That means I can be disowned and kicked out of the house, and believe it or not, my father will threaten to do that if he finds out I'm friends with a muggle-born girl," Draco explained.

"That's so cruel!" gasped Hermione.

"Well, that's the everyday pureblood family for you," said Draco sarctastically.

"What if-"

"Hermione, what _are_ you doing?" hissed a voice from the bottom of the stairs. They both jumped in shock and looked down the stairs to see Ginny making her way up to them.

"You said you'd be quick, I'm still waiting to go in - what are _you_ doing here?" demanded Ginny when she saw Draco.

"We're just talking, you can have the first shower if you want," Hermione quickly offered.

"I think I'll just wait until you two are finished-"

"Ginny _please_, this is important," said Hermione urgently. There was a long pause as the red-headed girl glared at them both, before she headed for the bathroom grumpily. They waited until she was well out of earshot before turning to each other, and silently thinking of a solution to the problem. There really wasn't much that they could do, apart from either not be friends, or be friends but keep it secret. Or if Draco confronted his parents about it and they were willing to face their families, friends and all of Hogwarts combined efforts to prevent their friendship, perhaps they could make it public. But they weren't close enough to simply risk everything for each other - they were just friends, and there was no need to make a huge deal out of it. After a few moments, and when they heard the shower turn on, they continued the conversation.

"What if we owl each other over the holidays, to start with. I won't tell anyone, it'll just be between us. But you have to promise me that you'll talk to your parents about it - they love you, they always spoiled you at Hogwarts. They wouldn't just abandon you because of a girl, Malfoy," said Hermione firmly.

"Agreed, owling sounds good. And I promise, I'll talk to my mother about it," assured Draco. There was a slight pause before he continued curiously, "what would you do, if you were in my situation?"

"If my parents hated wizards, and I liked one? I'm not sure... oh g-gosh," said Hermione emotionally, as her eyes began to tear up.

"You okay?" asked Draco in alarm as he moved closer to her.

"I'm fine, it's just that my parents don't even know that wizards exist. They don't even know that I exist, because I w-wiped their memories to keep them s-safe from the war," explained Hermione sadly. Realization dawned on Draco also, and he figured that she must have done that before the war had even started. That meant that her parents were probably in another part of the world, and had been there for months. At least he'd been with his parents up until recently, and he'd been with them during the entire war... Hermione hadn't even _seen_ any of her family since it all began. And yet she'd been sympathetic towards him all this time because his parents were in danger, while her own were long gone. He noticed that a few tears were rolling down her cheek and she had began to cry. After feeling a powerful tug of guilt and sadness, he gently wrapped his arms around her. To his surprise, she hugged him back.

"I didn't know. You will restore their memories, though?" Draco pointed out curiously.

"Yes, when everything c-calms down. I've just m-missed th-them _s-so_ much," sobbed Hermione as she leaned against him.

"At least they're alive and safe, that's pretty lucky since they're muggles and You-Know-Who was after you," said Draco, as he wasn't entirely sure what else to say. He'd never had a crying girl in his arms before, unless you counted Narcissa before he got onto the Hogwarts train in his sixth year. His mother had only been crying because she thought he was going to die trying to kill Dumbledore, though. Hermione on the other hand, was crying over something very personal, something she hadn't talked about for months. And instead of going to her room for privacy - which Draco expected - she simply leaned on him and sobbed. It was all rather foreign to him, and he had a feeling that Potter probably knew more about this than he did. Perhaps it had something to do with their houses again. Gryffindor's all want a shoulder to cry on and a friend to talk to, while Slytherin's lock themselves in their rooms to deal with their personal problems - that was pretty much a fact. After a while Hermione had stopped crying, and they remained locked together.

"W-when do you think I should restore their memories?" she asked quietly, with her head on his shoulder.

"Straight after my trial, at the start of the holidays. You can owl me about it," suggested Draco, with a brief smile at the idea.

"What if it g-goes wrong? And they n-never remember m-me?" Hermione continued, her voice laced with worry and anxiety. It was common knowledge that memory charms were very tricky, and most St Mungo's patients were people with damaged memories. Gilderoy Lockhart was just one example, and even five years after his memory charm had backfired, he was _still_ at the hospital. No wonder Hermione was crying, she must have been worried sick about this for months. To have your own parents forget you ever existed, and to have them never recognise you again, was a horrible punishment. But he wasn't sure why Hermione would be so worried about this - her spells were practically perfect. There was nothing she couldn't do when it came to magic.

"Granger, what happened to, _'I'm the brightest witch of our age'_? You're a genius," said Draco in exasperation.

"I only said that to try and annoy y-you," said Hermione with a brief laugh.

"It's still true. You got the highest marks possible for all of your O.W.L's-" continued Draco.

"Not Defence Against the Dark Arts, H-harry beat me in that-" Hermione protested in disappointmnt.

"A memory charm isn't Defence Against the Dark Arts, though. It's a charm, and Professor Flitwick said you were the best Charms student he'd ever seen," Draco interrupted firmly. There was silence after that, and he looked down to see Hermione smiling at the memories of Hogwarts and her marks. Even he found the memories of Hogwarts quite nice - there was absolutely nothing to worry about back then. Well, his sixth year was horrible due to becoming a Death Eater, but from his fifth year earlier it was awesome. There was no war, no death and no murder. Okay, there was a bit of death and a bit of Voldemort every year, because of Potter. But overall, life at Hogwarts was a hell of a lot more peaceful and simple than the present. After thinking about the positive aspects of it, he almost wanted to go back to being in the Slytherin common room again. But unfortunately, the negative aspects far outweighed the positives. He would have to carry the Dark Mark on his left forearm around like a curse, and the entire school - apart from Slytherin - would be against him. Although, that was how it always had been, because he'd always only had Slytherin friends anyway. And he'd always bullied every other house, so it wouldn't be _that_ much different when he returned. Now though, he'd just have to be prepared to get bullied back.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Hermione, cutting him out of his thoughts.

"Hogwarts. And that your parents will be fine, you're just worrying too much-" Draco stopped suddenly, as the two of them could hear footsteps coming from upstairs. Right at the last moment they sprung apart as Harry and Ron came bounding down the stairs, and only Harry seemed to have noticed that they were affectionately pressed against each other. When they saw that Hermione had been crying however, things spiralled instantly out of control.

"Hermione, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Ron demanded as he reached for his wand.

"N-no Ron, I'm fine-"

"Slimey git, sneaking up on her in the morning-"

"I'd put your wand down if I were you Weasley-" Draco spat, as he firmly grasped his own wand in his pocket.

"Both of you stop!" shouted Hermione as she stepped in between them, so that Ron's wand was pointing at her instead of Draco.

"Put your wand down, Ron," she ordered once she had their attention.

"What did he do-?" asked Harry urgently.

"I was crying about something else, he was just helping-"

"So you go to _him_ for help, instead of us?" said Ron, looking rather hurt.

"You were asleep! I just happened to walk into him on the staircase-"

"I'm sure-"

"Not everything's about you Weasley, you cheap prick-"

"_Malfoy_!" gasped Hermione as she turned around to face him. All she got in return from him was a shrug and an amused smirk. It frustrated her how he didn't seem to care about who he provoked or anyone elses feelings.

"Take that back Malfoy-" demanded Harry.

"We'll see who's smirking in a minute-"

"All of you _shut up_!" screamed Ginny from the bathroom door. She was already out of the shower and fully dressed, and she was still drying her wet hair. The other four jumped in surprise and turned to see her standing outside the bathroom, looking at them incredulously. There was silence after that as nobody said anything, and they all began to calm down a bit.

"Merlin, you'll wake the entire house up," Ginny continued as she walked down to them.

"I'll talk to you about it later," promised Hermione after taking a deep breath. Harry and Ron just nodded, and didn't do anything further apart from glare at Malfoy hatefully.

"Hermione are you oka-" asked Ginny, after seeing the redness around her eyes.

"I'm _fine_!" snapped Hermione, at last losing her patience with everyone around her. She always got interrupted when she was with Draco, and he was always the first person to get blamed for everything. Ron just had to argue over everything and always had to be against Malfoy. And being the offensive, rude git that Malfoy could be, he made everything worse by insulting someone without any reason. It was just a never-ending cycle that had been going on since they were in the tent weeks earlier - in fact, it was a never-ending cycle that started all the way back at Hogwarts. They'd fought in the corridors millions of times, it was practically second nature to them now. Before anyone could say anything else, Hermione walked past them to the bathroom door.

"Malfoy, I'll go over your trial later? And try not to kill each other, you lot," said Hermione bossily, before going in to have a shower. Pretty much what she'd said was a secret message to Draco, which meant, _'we'll talk later, don't fight with the others'_. It was impossible though, whenever she wasn't around and he was left alone with another male Gryffindor, something always went wrong.

"If you give us your Nimbus, we won't hex you," said Harry, the moment Hermione had closed the bathroom door. Draco smirked at him.

"My Nimbus? It's at home, I've got no idea what you're-" Draco lied casually.

"Don't play dumb with us Malfoy, you stole a Nimbus 2000 from the Room of Requirement like last week, it's in your room-" said Harry firmly. He was right of course, just last week they snuck into Hogwarts to get the Elder Wand and destroy a horcrux. Him and Hermione had to escape from the seventh floor when the Carrow's were after them, and he'd used a Nimbus broom to fly them both out. But there was no way he would be giving it away, because who knows what happened to his other brooms at home after the Death Eaters used them. All Nimbus racing brooms were valuable, too.

"It's mine Potter-"

"You stole it-!"

"I _found_ it, there's a difference. And in case you forgot, I saved your precious bookworm's life with it-"

"You saved yourself with it, and took her with you-"

"I could have just left her there and gone, but I didn't! Stop accusing me of random shit, and find your own broom!" Draco snapped impatiently, as he shoved past them and made his way upstairs to his room. He had so many insults at the ready, and it was becoming incredibly hard not to start a massive fight with them. No doubt they wanted his broom because Weasley wouldn't be able to afford one in his lifetime. Or he probably needed it because he sucked ass at Quidditch and his little sister was better than him even with a slower broom. The whole lot of them were pathetic to him.

"We'll play you for it, we've got a small Quidditch pitch out the back," said Harry, and it sounded more like a challenge than a suggestion.

"Or we can just hex you instead, it's up to you," Ron added threateningly.

"I wouldn't try that Weasley, we don't want your spell backfiring and causing you to throw up slugs again," Draco sneered.

"That was five years ago-!" shouted Ron as his face went red.

"Whatever, I'll play you for it. Two versus two, I'm on the Weasel-girls team," announced Draco.

"Why would you want to be on mine?" asked Ginny in bewilderment.

"Potter tends to dramatically fall off his broom, and Weasley just sucks. Enough said," he answered with a smirk.

"Coming from the one who's never caught the snitch against Harry," Ron pointed out.

"We'll see," Draco replied shortly, as he turned on his heel and headed upstairs to his room to get the Nimbus. There was a short silence as the other three waited.

"I think you hurt his ego Ron. This should be very interesting," commented Ginny in excitement, as she grinned and headed down the stairs to get ready.

"Hey, Ginny! Go easy on us, will you? I really want his broom-" Ron complained.

"That isn't very good sportsmanship, now is it? I play by the rules, Ron. May the best fliers win," she called from the bottom of the staircase. A moment later and she was gone, and the two Gryffindor's were the only ones left. They turned to each other uncertainly as they realized that perhaps it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought to beat Malfoy at Quidditch. It wasn't that he was a bad Seeker - he was a decent one, but he'd just never been as good as Harry. With Ginny on his side though, and Ron on Harry's side, anything could happen.

* * *

Meanwhile in the shower and in the bedroom on the third floor, Hermione and Draco were still dwelling on what they had just done. Draco personally couldn't care less what happened to his Nimbus, all he could think about was Hermione. She had actually admitted that she liked him - _him_, a Malfoy, a Slytherin, someone who had bullied her and made her life a living hell ever since they were twelve years old. And he'd admitted that he liked her, which was even more bizarre - she was a mudblood, a Gryffindor, a bookworm, a know-it-all, she was bossy and annoying and he'd bullied her and made fun of her for years. Deep down though, he knew that all of these things were just childish excuses and nicknames that they used as kids. The real thing that had kept them apart at Hogwarts was not their personalities - it was their parentage, their houses, their places in magical society and the fact that they were on opposite sides of a constant war. But it was different now, because all of this had changed. They weren't kids anymore, the war was over, and they'd actually gotten to know each other in the process. Unfortunately though, they were still on opposite sides of a very prejudiced society - at Hogwarts between the houses, and in the wizarding world between muggle-borns and purebloods. Despite this, and also despite the fact that his life would be going downhill starting with his trial, Draco couldn't help but feel a whole lot happier about things. Perhaps the next two months of summer holidays wouldn't be all that boring now that they were going to owl each other.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- I changed the summary. Again. o.O Let me know what you think?

- Is the story going at a good pace? Are Draco and Hermione getting _'together'_ too fast or too slow? I suppose it _is_ chapter 23, and over 90,000 words into the story, so it's about time they've admitted their feelings for each other. But I want your opinions!

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	24. Chapter 24

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.__  
__We've all got both light and dark inside us.__  
__What matters is the part we choose to act on.__  
__That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 24**

The game of Quidditch that they'd planned obviously had to be altered so that it was possible for only four people to play. The proper Quidditch rules were that different players had their own positions, and so a Beater couldn't catch the snitch, and a Seeker couldn't smack someone with a bat. In the two versus two game that was about to begin, however, there were no position rules and also no bludgers or bats - at the Burrow they only had a snitch and a quaffle. Therefore anyone could catch the snitch, anyone could use the quaffle and anyone could defend their goal posts. It was just a constant defend, score and search type of game between the four of them. This had Draco smirking from the word go, because Ron was hopeless at everything apart from being a goalkeeper, and Ginny had already been Chaser and Seeker for Gryffindor. And Potter also sucked at everything apart from catching the snitch. So he had a pretty good shot at winning, as long as he prevented Harry from getting the snitch. The _'Quidditch pitch'_ that they had was tiny in comparison to the Hogwarts one, so it was a perfect fit for four people. When the game started, Draco immediately chased after Harry and followed him everywhere. The problem was, of course, that Harry was smaller and had a Firebolt, while Draco was a bit heavier and had an old Nimbus. It was a frustratingly unfair match, but he relentlessly followed the other Seeker everywhere and planned to stop him from finding the snitch at all costs. Meanwhile Ginny and Ron were fighting to score goals with the quaffle, but Ginny was easily winning within minutes.

"_Wha_-" muttered Draco in shock, as he saw Harry burst impossibly fast towards the ground. Following instinctively, Draco went after him as fast as he could, at the same time searching for whatever it was that Harry had seen. As they were both heading towards the ground, Harry pulled out and Draco realized just a little bit too late that it was all a trick to make him crash. Every Seeker knew it and Harry had been practicing for years - but none of this mattered as Draco swore and frantically pulled his broom upwards at the last moment, just skimming the ground, losing control and being thrown over the top. After smashing and rolling along the ground for a few metres, he just groaned and took deep, painful breaths. He could hear distant laughing from above, and footsteps crossing the pitch to him.

"Malfoy! Are you okay?" came Hermione's voice. She reached him just as he began to push himself off the ground, looking furious.

"I'm fine, Granger-"

"Gosh, you're lucky you didn't hit the ground head first-"

"I pulled out just in time, it wasn't luck, it was skill. You'd better move, I've got a Firebolt to snap in half," he spat, as he walked - or limped slightly - over to his Nimbus in determination. Hermione rolled her eyes, knowing that it was only going to get worse from that moment forth. And she also prayed that he was joking, because if he seriously did try to damage Harry's Firebolt in any way, shape or form, he was practically signing his own death warrant. Regardless, she headed off the pitch towards a hill that was behind the goalposts with a Transfiguration textbook. She'd decided to start studying again, now that the war was over and she was returning to Hogwarts soon.

"How's your leg ferret, you seem to be limping a little-"

"Fuck off Weasley!" Draco snapped as he grabbed his Nimbus and shot back into the air. And so the match continued, but not for long. The short amount of time that Draco had spent on the ground was enough for Harry to spot, and catch the snitch with ease. After counting up the goals, the score ended up being 70-150, with Harry and Ron winning because of the 150 points the snitch gave them. Ginny had scored seven goals - ten points each - in the time it took Harry to catch the snitch. After he'd caught it, they all landed on the ground.

"We're winners! Hand over the Nimbus-" said Ron triumphantly.

"Best of three, that went too fast," argued Draco.

"It went too fast because I got the snitch so quick-" said Harry smugly.

"You only got it quick because this pitch is like one quarter of the Hogwarts one-"

"And you hit the ground-"

"At least I can get back up, unlike you who's spent more time in the Hospital Wing than actually playing-" spat Draco in reply.

"Both of you shut up, seriously! We'll play best of three, you win the first game," snapped Ginny, as she turned on her heels to walk back to her own goalposts. Draco followed her, doing his best not to limp as his leg throbbed painfully from where he'd been launched off his broom and into the grass. Once they reached their goalposts, they turned to face each other.

"How's your le-"

"Fine. I'm not catching the snitch anymore, I give up with Potter. Weasley sucks at goalkeeping, so me and you will just constantly get the quaffle in," began Draco quickly, having thought about this for a while.

"Agreed, if we get sixteen goals before Harry can get the snitch, we win," said Ginny with a mischievious grin.

"And every time you fly past Potter, smash into him on purpose-" continued Draco darkly.

"Hey, he's my boyfrie-!" protested Ginny.

"So? It's just a game, and my one thousand galleon Nimbus is on the line here-"

"One thousand galleon _stolen_ Nimbus-" corrected Ginny with a snort.

"Either way, you know that getting Potter angry makes him play worse. I used to make Crabbe and Goyle target him with bludgers every game-"

"And he still won-"

"Are you going to help me or not? I thought you were good with tactics-" snapped Draco in frustration.

"Why _should_ I help you? You don't even deserve to have that broom, plus I still think you're a git no matter what Hermione says," Ginny argued stubbornly.

"Fine, play however you want to. I'll win my own way," said Draco as he turned his back on her and flew off. Deep down he was extremely annoyed at all of the other Gryffindor's. If Ginny just played properly and worked with him to put Harry off his game and score continuous goals, they would win without a problem, there was no doubt about it. But of course, her actually helping him willingly was never going to happen. Not only had he apparently _'stolen'_ a broom which was hidden in the Room of Requirement - the same broom that he'd used to save Hermione's life - but he was also a git. He wasn't sure why this annoyed him so much, but he'd expected some level of respect after the past four weeks. Ginny didn't know any of the details - only Hermione, Pothead and Weasel knew what had happened between the four of them. And only Hermione acknowledged his help. Either way though, he wasn't going to be treating any of the Weasley's with respect any time soon, so why expect help from Ginny? He'd just have to do all the shoving, unfair play and dirty work by himself. He pushed all of this from his mind though as Ginny blew the whistle to start the second game. He instantly zoomed towards Harry, smashing shoulders roughly, before ducking under him and ripping the quaffle from Ron's hands and throwing it through the goalpost hoop. None of this was against the rules, technically speaking, so there was really nothing they could do about it. And so the game continued like this, getting more and more rough, with Harry getting more and more frustrated. Every time he stayed still in the air to search for the golden snitch - _SMACK_ - from behind, and then he'd see Malfoy fly past with his middle finger up over his shoulder. It made finding the snitch impossibly hard.

"You can't keep doing that-!" Harry found himself bellowing.

"Why, can't you find the snitch?" Draco mocked in reply.

"Do it again and I'll knock you off your broom!" warned Harry, before speeding off to another area so that he could search for the snitch in peace. Draco smirked to himself, and decided to go score some goals before returning for another distracting shove. He and Ginny were already winning by thirteen goals, so it wasn't long until they had sealed their victory. After another minute of two, with his help, they'd reached sixteen goals and he speed towards Harry again.

"Sixteen goals Potter-" SMACK "- go ahead and catch the stupid snitch," he jeered victoriously. This seemed like the final straw, as Harry gave up searching for the snitch and instead headed for the quaffle in an attempt to out-score Draco and Ginny. At the same time, he began shoving Draco back quite painfully, because the Firebolt was ridiculously fast and at high speeds, two shoulders connecting wasn't exactly gentle. After a few minutes of this, Draco had the quaffle and was heading for another goal when he saw Harry launch at the ground unexpectedly. Draco sped after him as well, with the quaffle in hand, and he threw the ball as hard as he could downwards. The giant red ball connected with the back of Harry's head, knocking him forwards off his broom and causing him to crash into the dirt below. Draco then pulled out of the dive and snatched the golden speck of light, which had only been inches within Harry's reach moments before he'd been hit with the quaffle. It was all over within seconds, and Draco landed on the ground crying of laughter with the snitch in his hand.

"You're going to pay for that Malfoy!" Ron roared as he landed and jumped off his Cleansweep Eleven broom and moved to get his wand out. Before he could however, Draco was in the air again, just a few feet above them.

"I hit the ground first, now Potter hit the ground. It's only fair-" said Draco cheerfully.

"It's not fair at all, you threw the quaffle at his head! That's against the rules-" shouted Ron, with his wand pointed upwards at Draco. The sun was shining in his eyes though, and there was really no way he could hit a flying object with any spell.

"There weren't any rules to begin with!" Draco laughed from above. Ginny was kneeling beside Harry, who appeared to actually be rather injured as he did hit the ground alot harder than Draco had. A few moments later and Hermione had reached them, looking beside herself with anger.

"How _dare_ you, he could be hurt-!" she shrieked at Draco from the ground.

"I was just making it even! He made me crash by tricking me, and I made him crash by-" began Draco defensively.

"By hitting him with a giant red ball, you're so childish!" Hermione screamed.

"Childish or not, it worked, and it was a damn good throw too," Draco snickered in reply. He hadn't seen Hermione this angry with him in a while, so he decided not to get her any more annoyed than she already was. After he'd said this she huffed angrily and walked over to Harry, who had finally began to get up. He was covered in dirt and grass and he was holding his right shoulder painfully as he sat on the ground. Ron went and got his Firebolt for him, as Ginny helped him stand up. Draco rolled his eyes at all of the dramatics - when he'd crashed into the ground all he got was laughs as the game continued. But if Harry Potter crashes, it's suddenly a big deal.

"That wasn't fair, you lose by disqualification and give me your broom-" said Ron angrily.

"I don't think so Weasley, I won that game fair and square. We've got another game to go-" answered Draco.

"There won't be another game, thanks to you, Harry's hurt his shoulder," snapped Ginny as she glared up at the Slytherin.

"Oh so it looks like _you guys_ are disqualified? I guess I win and I'll be keeping my Nimbus, thanks," said Draco as he put on his most arrogant smirk.

"I can play-"

"No Harry, don't. He'll just keep hitting your right shoulder on purpose and it'll only get worse," said Hermione, as though she'd read Draco's mind.

"Yeah _Harry_, you'd better go to the Hospital Wing-" Draco mocked sarcastically.

"Go away!" Ginny shouted up at him.

* * *

About ten minutes later Ginny, Harry and Ron had all gone back inside to have Mrs Weasley see his shoulder. After that they were going to have lunch and probably plan ways to get back at Malfoy, whom had stayed outside to continue flying around. While he was pretending to practice flying and catching the snitch, he was constantly looking over at Hermione who had also stayed outside. She had stormed off to the hill beside the pitch and continued reading her book, after ranting that Quidditch was a stupid game, that they were all immature and that Draco needed to grow up. After about ten minutes of catching and letting the snitch go, he finally decided to go and talk to her. He caught and put the snitch in his pocket, and sped over to the hill beside her. When he landed, she didn't say hello or look up, but she instead just stared at her book with an upset expression. Draco sighed slightly, knowing that she was angry at him, as he sat down and waited for a few moments.

"Nice book. I like Transfiguration too-" he began sarcastically.

"Being sarcastic and mean isn't going to make me feel better-" Hermione snapped without looking up.

"I wasn't being mean-" Draco protested.

"You were! Yes, the war just ended, it's the summer holidays and I'm studying. So what?" argued Hermione as she put the textbook down.

"I didn't mean it like that - why are you so angry at me?" Draco demanded.

"Why did you have to try to knock Harry out, and then act as arrogant as possible afterwards?" countered Hermione as she glared at him.

"It was payback, he purposefully faked a dive to make me crash-" said Draco with a shrug.

"You're allowed to fake dive in Quidditch - you're _not_ allowed to hit people with the quaffle! Everything Harry did was by the rules, everything _you_ did was just unfair and rough-" Hermione accused in exasperation.

"By the rules or not, the reason he went into the dive was to have me hit the ground and break a bone. That's no better than throwing a ball at someone-" Draco argued defensively.

"I agree, it isn't any better - Harry did the wrong thing too. But you could have ignored it and been the better person," Hermione explained.

"I _was_ the better person. I scored more goals than both of them put together, plus I caught the snitch _and_ kept my broom-"

"You know what I mean, Malfoy," said Hermione, as she sighed and looked away. There was a short silence as neither of them spoke for a few moments.

"Why does it even matter, Granger? They wanted my broom and they didn't even deserve it in the first place-" continued Draco frustratedly.

"I know, the entire idea of playing for your broom was stupid. I knew something bad was going to happen," said Hermione in annoyance.

"And it wasn't my fault-"

"But it was!" groaned Hermione.

"How was it?"

"You didn't need to get payback, you didn't need to be arrogant about it all, and because you hurt Harry now Mrs Weasley is probably looking at his shoulder, and they're all blaming you-" explained Hermione, trying to make him understand what the extent of his actions were.

"So what? I don't give a damn what they think-" Draco said indifferently.

"But _I do_ Malfoy! They're my best friends, and you always insult them, even in front of me," said Hermione exasperatedly.

"What do you expect me to do? Be nice to them? They're a bunch of gits-"

"They're _not_. They're honestly nice people and good friends, you just don't even want to try-"

"Exactly, I don't want to, and I probably never will," said Draco firmly.

"You might not care now, but what about at Hogwarts? Harry and Ron will be famous seventh years, probably both prefects because McGonagall is Headmistress. If they hate you at Hogwarts, the rest of Gryffindor will too-"

"The entire school will hate me no matter what I do, Granger. I'm a Death Eater, remember," Draco snapped, as he looked away from her and appeared to be rather upset about it.

"No Malfoy, you're _not_ a Death Eater. And so what if they call you that, I was called names all the time-"

"You were called names for no reason, too. It didn't matter how you acted, you never did anything in retaliation, you never fought back - but we always called you a mudblood. I feel like shit when I look back on it, and I know that it's going to be the same for me. It doesn't matter how I act, I'll still be seen as one, so fuck it," said Draco angrily, feeling both guilty and frustrated at the same time. There was another short silence as Hermione moved closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder gently.

"I like you, Malfoy. But if we hate each other's friends, we're only going to end up hating each other as well-"

"Oh, so you're saying you will try and be nice to Slytherin's-" Draco scoffed in disbelief.

"Yes, I _will_ try, only if you try to do the same. You've only got one more night here, can you please just refrain from arguing or fighting with them for one night?" asked Hermione as she glanced up at him. He just sighed and nodded, looking towards The Burrow with dislike.

"Fine, just this night. I'm not promising anything after this," he said firmly.

"Thank you."

* * *

That night during dinner, Draco once again played against the rules. Instead of eating at the table with everyone else, he took his dinner up to his room like he had been doing for the past week. This helped shorten the amount of time he'd have to spend with everyone else, so he didn't have to _'refrain from arguing or fighting'_ so much. Hermione was probably annoyed, but she should have realized that he would do it. After he'd finished eating, he found himself re-reading some of the Magical Law textbooks nervously. No matter how much reassurance from Kingsley that it was going to be fine, he found himself getting more and more anxious the closer the trial came. The only other person his own age who'd had a trial was Potter, but there was no way he'd be going to ask how Potter's went. He could just ask Hermione, she probably knew all about it anyway. He heard someone call his name from downstairs so he headed for the door, went to the first floor and was greeted by Kingsley in the living room.

"Malfoy, we'll be leaving here tomorrow morning at five, so make sure you're awake and ready before then. Severus will be staying here the night too, and I'll come from the Ministry in the morning to pick you both up with Hermione," explained Kingsley briefly.

"Are my parents there?" asked Draco instantly.

"Yes, you will be able to see them after your trial," Kingsley answered. After that, he said some short goodbyes to the rest of the Order and had a few words with Snape, before leaving the house and apparating from outside.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What do you expect to happen in the trial? What do you think Draco's punishment will end up being?

- What is your favourite Dramione story ever? NOT this one. I'm looking for other, better stories than my own to read. :) Please give descriptions of the one/s you list!

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	25. Chapter 25

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.__  
__We've all got both light and dark inside us.__  
__What matters is the part we choose to act on.__  
__That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Later that night he remembered that he had to ask Hermione to keep the entire four weeks a secret when they were at Hogwarts, because he didn't want the entire school - especially not the Slytherin's - to know that he'd been with them. He wasn't entirely sure why he wanted this, but he figured that it would make his life a whole lot easier if everything went back to normal. And also, some of the Slytherin's parents were Death Eaters, and most of them were also supporters of Voldemort. They would be his only true friends when he returned to Hogwarts, and if they found out that he'd helped bring Voldemort down... that would also mean that he helped send their parents, and his own father, to Azkaban. That, plus the fact that he'd gotten close to Hermione during the four weeks, made him want to keep it all a secret from the rest of the school. It was the best way to make things go back to normal for him. He made his way downstairs as he was thinking about all of this, and he headed towards Ginny's room since the girls shared it. He knocked on the door quickly.

"What do you want?" snapped Ginny when she opened it and saw him.

"Granger. I mean, I need to talk to her," said Draco impatiently.

"Well it's late, she's going to bed-"

"I'll be out in a second!" came Hermione's voice from inside.

"Hermione-!" argued Ginny, and a second later the door closed. Draco rolled his eyes and waited, as he could hear arguing from inside the room and he wondered what they were talking about. He was also thinking about Hogwarts and the trial, and the fact that after tomorrow he wouldn't be able to talk to Hermione again for a long time. Before he could worry about that any longer though, the door opened again and Hermione came out, quickly closing the door after her.

"Sorry about that, she's still angry about you hitting Harry with the quaffle," explained Hermione as she looked up at him.

"And she doesn't want you talking to me?" asked Draco curiously. They headed towards the living room where the lounges were, to be near the fire.

"Well, no. None of them do, really, but it's not their choice," Hermione reminded him.

"Either way, it doesn't matter because I won't be seeing you after tomorrow," Draco admitted gloomily.

"That's not true. We can owl each other, and then we'll both be at Hogwarts again-"

"Yes but at Hogwarts, you have to keep this a secret," Draco began, as he turned to her.

"We've already talked about this, you said you'd talk to your mother - and it doesn't matter what other people think," insisted Hermione.

"I know, but it's more than that. If Slytherin's find out that I was with you guys for four weeks, they'll know that I helped bring You-Know-Who down. They'll blame me for their parents being in Azkaban, I'll be seen as a traitor-"

"But you're _not_ a traitor, you did the right thing for everyone. And besides, only a few Death Eaters were actually Slytherin parents-" argued Hermione.

"You don't understand though, you're not in Slytherin, Granger. The ones who have parents in Azkaban will blame me, their friends will join them, and Slytherin is a close-knit house. They'll be my only friends in the castle, I can't afford to lose them," he went on in determination. There was a long pause after he'd said this as Hermione thought about it, and she eventually sighed and nodded in agreement. All of her friends were in Gryffindor and all of his friends were in Slytherin, they both deserved to keep their friends, and he would need them for the upcoming year.

"I'm not the only one who knows though. Ginny, Harry and Ron will all have to agree," she pointed out.

"Well, could you-?"

"No, I want you to ask them yourself," answered Hermione firmly.

"You know I can't-!"

"You can! And besides, I'm sure they're just as eager as you are to pretend this never happened and continue hating each other," said Hermione disapprovingly, as she glared at the fire. Hermione could tell that the moment they returned to Hogwarts with the agreement to keep this a secret, the rest of them would forget it and return to the traditional inter-house hostility instead. For some strange reason, she had hoped that spending four weeks together would help defuse the tension and cause them to act normally towards each other. But instead, they seemed to have just decided that they hated each other even more. And what made it worse was that now she would be stuck in the middle of it all, because she had already decided that she wouldn't join in any fights with Slytherin's. She had also hoped that Draco would never use the word mudblood again, but who knows what would happen after they parted ways at Hogwarts. Draco noticed her upset expression as she looked at the fire, and vaguely figured out what she was worrying about.

"They hate me and I hate them, there's really nothing that will change that. But I'll never hate you," Draco promised sincerely, before he stood up and went upstairs to Harry and Ron's room.

* * *

The two Gryffindor's were rather strained as Draco walked into their room uninvited, and leaned against the wall. He noticed that Harry had a pained expression, a bruised arm and a slight lump on the back of his head, and he couldn't help but smirk. He was also resisting the urge to say something snide like, _"how's your head, Potter?",_ because he knew that saying such a thing would only make the situation worse. And he'd promised Hermione that he wasn't going to fight or argue with anyone, at least for one night. So here goes-

"Wipe the smirk off your face, Malfoy-"

"I'll make this quick. When we get to Hogwarts, we're all going to forget that this happened, and you will not tell anyone that I spent the past four weeks helping you. Understood?" announced Draco with as much superiority as possible.

"Why don't you want anyone to know?" asked Harry quickly.

"Because I'm a Slytherin and you guys suck. It doesn't matter why, I'm just making sure you agree-"

"And if we don't?" demanded Ron.

"Well then everyone will think we're the best of buddies, Weasley, you idiot," said Draco sarcastically. He quickly cursed himself inside, realizing that he was already breaking the agreement with Hermione by insulting them.

"Fine, we'll pretend you weren't here. But you're not allowed to annoy us at all," said Harry firmly.

"Yeah, and if you go anywhere _near_ Hermione I'm going to tell everyone the truth," added Ron.

"Don't act like you have control over me, I'm going to do whatever the hell I want," Draco snapped as he headed for the door.

"I'm being serious, I don't want you anywhere near her from now on," Ron continued as he got up from his desk and glared across the room at the Slytherin.

"Well that's funny, because I'm just about to go downstairs and snuggle with her beside the fire-" said Draco coldly.

"Like hell you are-"

"I'm glad we all agreed on keeping this a secret-" Draco went on casually.

"I'll tell everyone if you do it-"

"You can't threaten me Weasley-" Draco spat.

"Keeping this a secret is obviously important to you, and Hermione is important to me, so I think I can," Ron pointed out.

"She has nothing to do with this-!"

"She has everything to do with this!" shouted Ron in disagreement.

"That's enough, both of you-" warned Harry, but it was useless.

"Whatever's going on between you and her had better stop-"

"It's between me and her, not you-"

"She's my best friend-!"

"And she can make her own fucking decisions!" shouted Draco, at last losing his patience with the entire argument.

"Maybe she can, but you can't, because if you decide to go near her again I'll make your life hell at Hogwarts-" Ron threatened again.

"Do whatever you want, you can't stop me!" said Draco furiously as he turned and walked out of the room.

"Remember what I said!" Ron shouted after him, just as he slammed the door shut. Once out of the room, he took a deep breath and couldn't help but feel uncontrollably furious towards the stupid red-headed Gryffindor. He hated every single minute _thing_ about that wizard. What made everything worse was the threat, and he was still trying to figure out why that aggravated him so much. He had a feeling that it had something to do with Voldemort. For the past year Draco had been controlled against his will, ordered around and told what to do. He'd been threatened in his sixth year that if he didn't kill Dumbledore, his parents would die. He'd had enough of obeying other people, and one part of him felt this way towards his parents. Being told that he couldn't be friends with a muggle-born girl might just cause him to explode. He looked up and noticed that Hermione was standing just down the hall a bit, and she must have heard some of the argument.

"I should have spoken to them for you, I was just being stubborn by making you do it-" Hermione began to apologize when he saw her.

"No, it's fine. Weasley is an asshole, but they agreed," said Draco as he snapped out of his original thoughts.

"And thank you," continued Hermione timidly.

"For what?"

"Saying that I can make my own decisions," she said with a small smile.

"You can. And so can I," said Draco firmly as he walked up to her.

"What have you decided?" asked Hermione.

"To owl you every single day over the summer," Draco said quietly.

"I can't wait," Hermione murmured with another smile. They locked eyes for a few moments, and for some bizarre reason Draco felt that it was right. She was right. She was perfect. It'd taken him four weeks to grow up and accept the fact that she wasn't a mudblood - she was just a girl, and he liked her and there was nothing wrong with that. The more they argued, the more they understood each other, and the more they'd grown to like each other without even realizing it. For the past couple of days they'd been getting closer too, the only problem was that Ginny usually interrupted them at the worst moments. This was the last night he'd be at the Burrow with her, with any form of privacy, before the summer and Hogwarts. Before they would be separated by everything and everyone. And he'd been planning to make the most of it, so what the hell? He moved closer to her and her smile widened slightly as she glanced up at him. Her eyes were a dazzling, chocolate brown and her smile was irresistible. All he could think about, and all that really mattered to him was to kiss her.

"You're beautiful," Draco murmured as he gently brushed one of her curls behind her ear. Hermione blushed and smiled nervously, as she held his shirt and leaned back against the wall, pulling him closer to her.

"I'm going to miss you," she replied softly. He thought of being stuck at Malfoy Manor for the next two months, and shook his head in disagreement.

"Not as much as I'll miss you," said Draco. He forgot about the trial and everything else though, and kept his eyes and his mind only on her, as he slowly moved his lips closer to hers.

"Well, well, I hope I'm not interrupting," said a drawling voice from just down the hallway. They both jumped and sprung apart at hearing the voice, and looked around to see who it was. There stood Snape, smirking at them in amusement. Draco felt both embarrassed with the situation but also frustrated at being interrupted for what felt like the millionth time.

"We were just, um," stammered Hermione, as she panicked and tried to think of something to say.

"Saying goodnight," Draco gritted out, as he glared at the Potions master.

"I see," sneered Snape with a pause before he continued, "well I just came up here to make sure you were ready for tomorrow, and to talk about your trial."

"Great, can we talk downstairs?" snapped Draco, making his frustration obvious.

"Of course," agreed Snape, as he turned on his heels and headed down the staircase without another word. The moment he was out of earshot and eyesight, Draco pulled Hermione towards him swiftly without saying anything and pressed his lips against hers. They stayed there for a moment, eyes closed, as Hermione leaned into him and returned the kiss equally. After a couple of moments of passionate kissing he reluctantly pulled away, knowing that he'd have to go and talk to Snape sooner or later. He felt exhilarated when it ended and their eyes connected again.

"That was unexpected," breathed Hermione, sounding rather dazed.

"I couldn't resist," Draco replied. Her smile returned as she glanced up at him coyly, and then she glanced down the hall too.

"You'd better go. We can talk in the morning," Hermione went on reluctantly. Draco sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Bloody professors," he muttered.

* * *

The next morning there was barely any time for anything as the three people who were going to the trial - Draco, Hermione and Snape - woke up in their individual rooms. They got ready and did everything as slowly and silently as possible, to avoid waking up anyone else in the house. Draco couldn't believe that it was already the morning of his trial, and he was definitely nervous, but he had another thing on his mind. He knew that he should have been worrying about his trial, but he also couldn't stop thinking about what he'd done last night. He, Draco Malfoy, had kissed Hermione Granger. Surely she was thinking about it too, but there was no time to ponder over it. Kingsley arrived early and wanted them to get to the Ministry well before the trial started, and so he waited in the living room patiently for them. Hermione and Snape were the first ones ready, and they didn't even have time for breakfast since Mrs Weasley wasn't awake. When Draco tiredly reached the living room last at a quarter to five, they all hurried outside and apparated. Once at the Ministry, they were pleasantly surprised to see that there had been radical changes since Voldemort had been in power. The statue in the middle of the main entrance hall of a witch and wizard standing on top of muggles had been removed, and the original golden fountain had been restored. The general atmosphere of the Ministry was dramatically improved, but they didn't have time to admire the view, as Kingsley was rushing them down to Level Two, where the Wizengamot was located. Once there, it was only five minutes till five in the morning, so there weren't many people around and they were right on time.

"You three wait out here, I've got to go in now. Myself, Elphias Doge and Cornelius Fudge will be the ones asking questions. It shouldn't go for long, so I'll see you afterwards," said Kingsley with a short nod, before he walked towards the entrance to the large, circular Wizengamot room. The other three people waited outside in the hallway - Snape looking calm, Hermione looking anxious, and Draco looking nearly terrified.

"You answer questions, I do the talking. Just be honest and don't argue, it only makes things worse," Snape reminded him, to break the silence. Draco just nodded, looking pale. He glanced at Hermione and noticed that she was watching him sympathetically. She desperately wanted to touch him, or hug him, but she knew she couldn't. Not with Snape right next to them, and not right before they were about to go in. Instead, she just smiled in reassurance. Draco did his best to remember everything that he'd read and convered with her over the past couple of days. But instead all he could remember was her eyes, her lips, her voice, her body... not the books. He cursed himself silently as he tried to focus on the trial. A moment later the door opened again, and a Ministry official indicated for them to come in.

"Only one witness is allowed at a time," he ordered strictly, stopping Hermione from entering after the other two. They had decided beforehand to have Snape go in first and do most of the talking, as most of the trial would involve him. Hermione would only be required to provide evidence that Draco had done nothing wrong whilst at Malfoy Manor when she was captured by snatchers.

"Good luck," she called, as she watched Draco and Snape walk into the room and the door close after them.

* * *

"Disciplinary hearing of the twenty-second of June. Interrogators: Kingsley Shackelbolt, Minister for Magic; Cornelius Fudge, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Elphias Doge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Weasley. First witness for the defence, Severus Snape," announced Kingsley's booming voice throughout the Wizengamot. Draco was sitting down in the chair in the middle of the room, and Severus was seated beside him in another, looking rather bored. There were exactly fifty Wizengamot members, all staring down at them readily.

"Let us begin. You are Draco Malfoy, of Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England?" asked Cornelius Fudge, who was obviously the main interrogator. Kingsley was an Auror, so it wasn't exactly his place to be in a court room - Draco assumed that he was only there as the Minister for Magic, to make the final decisions.

"Yes," answered Draco, as strongly as he could.

"You have the Dark Mark, correct?" continued Fudge quickly.

"Yes," said Draco coldly. He was indicated to show it as proof, and he pulled his left sleeve up to reveal the mark on his left forearm.

"And you received the mark during your sixth year of Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"And you willingly accepted it?"

"What?" snapped Draco.

"Did you willingly accept the mark?" repeated Fudge impatiently.

"I didn't want it, but I had no choice," answered Draco, feeling his face go red slightly with anger.

"Did you or did you not attempt to assassinate Albus Dumbledore, on more than one occasion?" continued Fudge instantly. Draco hesitated, clearly taken off guard by the sudden question that he hadn't answered or discussed with anyone for months. What did they expect him to say? He remembered Snape's advice about answering all questions honestly, and not arguing, so he took a deep breath.

"Quickly now, we haven't got all morning," snapped Fudge.

"Y-yes, but I didn't have a choice-"

"What were your attempts, what did you do?"

"I - I poisoned a bottle of mead? And used a cursed necklace-"

"A cursed necklace? That must have been highly dark magic, where did you purchase it?"

"Borgin and Burkes-"

"So you openly admit to purchasing, being in possession of and using dark magical objects in an attempt to-" began Fudge in satisfactory.

"I had no choice-" Draco protested. By this point he'd already got the gist of how a trial went. They just questioned you continuously until they had you cornered, and then they tried to press charges. He didn't like the feeling of being listened to and watched by over fifty court members either, and he could see Percy Weasley writing everything down eagerly in his notebook.

"Dumbledore was aware of the attempts on his life from the very start, and he was using me to try and help Draco through it. The attempts on his life were simply feeble acts, organized by myself, to make Draco appear to be making progress for Voldemort. Dumbledore himself said that they were harmless, and he remained untouched," said Snape, interrupting the fast paced questioning. He knew he was lying slightly there, since Draco was actually acting completely of his own accord, but they needed to change the facts a bit.

"_Harmless_? What about the student who was sent to Mungo's after touching the necklace-" demanded Fudge.

"She recovered with absolutely no lasting injuries, and there is no proof that it was the same dark object that Draco used, as the necklace is currently lost," answered Snape quickly. Fudge looked frustrated, as he opened and closed his mouth, unable to continue arguing that point.

"So be it! The night of Dumbledore's death, do you admit to helping Death Eater's break through the magical defences of the Hogwarts castle?" Fudge went on relentlessly, now glaring down at the young Slytherin.

"That was entirely Voldemort's doing," answered Snape quickly.

"_Entirely_-? That is absurd! No ordinary wizard can break into Hogwarts alone, it is impossible! The Death Eaters would have required inside help!" argued Fudge.

"Voldemort was no ordinary wizard, however, and he wasn't alone, he had all of his Death Eaters to help him. And Dumbledore was weak and disoriented that night. Also, it _is_ possible to break into Hogwarts alone - Sirius Black is proof of that," said Snape indifferently.

"Sirius Black was an illegal Animagus, the circumstances were different!"

"And if Sirius Black could manage to break in entirely by himself, I'm sure Voldemort could have as well, don't you?" said Snape, glaring back at the other wizard. There was once again another silence as the interrogator contemlplated this.

"Fine. Do you admit to using the Cruciatus curse on both Thorfinn Rowle and Harry Potter?" continued Fudge, seemingly determined to prove something against Draco.

"I was forced to use it on Row-"

"Did you or did you not use the Cruciatus curse on both accounts?"

"Yes, I did, but I-"

"You should know that Potter retaliated with equal dark magic, and it was just a scuffle between two Hogwarts teenagers-" drawled Snape casually.

"Using an Unforgivable curse isn't _scuffling_ in my books-!" growled Fudge in anger.

"And he was forced to use the Cruciatus on Rowle. I myself was in the room when he did it, and he was directly threatened by Voldemort," continued Snape.

"What was the situation in which you used the curse?" asked another voice, this time from Elphias Doge, an older man who had remained silent throughout the interrogation so far. The question was obviously directed towards Draco, who took another deep breath.

"The threats were always the same. If I didn't obey, I would be forced to watch my parents be murdered in front of me, and then I would die as well," answered Draco steadily, as he stared at the ground. There was quiet muttering from around the room as the Wizengamot council members began discussing the answers so far. The discussion went on and on, and none of them seemed to be stopping anytime soon, for which Draco was grateful. He'd already had enough of being interrogated, and it was thanks to Snape that he hadn't been hauled off to Azkaban yet. Fudge clearly didn't like him. As the discussion ended, Elphias Doge decided that they would move on from the sixth year issues and begin talking about recent events that happened at Malfoy Manor. At that, Snape called on Hermione to take over as the witness, and he left the room. Draco felt rather vulnerable at that moment, and Fudge seemed satisfied that he would now have an easier time with his interrogation.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What did you think of the kiss? How do you think Draco and Hermione will react to what happened, when they talk about it in the next chapter?

- What do you think of the trial so far?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	26. Chapter 26

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.__  
__We've all got both light and dark inside us.__  
__What matters is the part we choose to act on.__  
__That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 26**

Hermione walked into the large room and was rather shocked at how many people were present and watching her. It seemed that Death Eater trials were a big deal, but she ignored all of the watching eyes and instead looked only at Draco. He appeared more pale than usual, slightly panicked, but also frustrated. She guessed that he was frustrated because of Cornelius Fudge - she remembered when Harry explained how his trial had gone, during their fifth year when he'd done underage magic. He'd been constantly interrupted and bombarded with questions, and it was clear that Fudge wanted _him_ in deep trouble too. Harry was lucky that he had Dumbledore though... this time there was no genius defender, only her and Snape, who seemed rather satisfied when he'd left the room. Hermione finally reached the seat beside Draco, sat down, and took a deep breath.

"Okay, let us continue. You are Hermione Granger?" asked Fudge.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed.

"Good. So, at Malfoy Manor, how many prisoners were kept there?" he continued, this time asking Draco.

"Five, in total," answered Draco.

"What were their names? When did each of them arrive?"

"Ollivander was the first, he had been locked in the cellar while I was at Hogwarts during my sixth year. Luna Lovegood was locked in the cellar after the sixth year of Hogwarts was over. Dean Thomas and a goblin named Griphook were locked in there about five weeks ago, and Hermione Granger was just over four weeks ago," finished Draco, glancing across at Hermione nervously.

"So miss Granger, what were the conditions in which you suffered in the cellar?" asked Fudge, looking at her this time.

"Not very good. It was cold, no lights, not much food. But Ollivander had been there for two years, so it obviously wasn't bad enough to kill you," answered Hermione honestly.

"Were you starved?"

"No."

"Were you tortured excessively?"

"By Bellatrix Lestrange when I arrived. Otherwise, no."

"Did you suffer any discomfort at the hands of Draco Malfoy?"

"No."

"Are you sure? That is why you're here, to be a reliable witness-"

"Yes, I'm sure. He was just as scared as I was, and he actually helped me escape and that's why we're both alive," said Hermione firmly. After hearing this Fudge seemed incredibly disappointed and rather confused, as he'd been expecting her to say something bad about Draco. There was a short silence before he continued again.

"Did Draco Malfoy attempt to kill you or not?"

"He was ordered to kill me by You-Know-Who. He refused to do it, though, obviously," said Hermione, as she indicated to herself to emphasise the fact that she was still alive.

"So you didn't suffer any cruel treatment from-"

"None from Malfoy. We suffered cruel treatment from Fenrir Greyback, Peter Pettigrew, Bellatrix Lestrange and You-Know-Who," stated Hermione clearly. After she'd given them those names, the entire Wizengamot seemed satisfied as they burst into a long discussion. Even Fudge smiled a bit, as he looked across at Percy Weasley - who was still writing the trial down - and nodded towards him. Percy hurriedly wrote the names down, looking equally satisfied. Obviously this gave them the ability to lock up Fenrir Greyback and Bellatrix in Azkaban for much longer, since they'd been accused of something by a witness. Bellatrix was obviously already in Azkaban for life though, after all the murders she'd been accused of. Wormtail and Voldemort were already dead. Hermione heard the Slytherin beside her take a deep breath of relief, as he let his head fall back and relax.

"You alright?" Hermione asked.

"I am now," he answered.

"The punishment is probably coming up soon, so don't relax yet," Hermione went on, almost nervously. As she said that, they noticed that Kingsley, Elphias Doge and Fudge were all speaking quietly amongst themselves. They seemed to be arguing over something as well, which was possibly the punishment. After a few minutes of this, Kingsley raised his hands to get everyones attention.

"Those in favour of one year in Azkaban?" came Kingsley's booming voice. Hermione's eyes widened incredulously, as Draco felt his heartbeat suddenly skip and race uncontrollably.

"You can't do that-!" began Hermione, but Kingsley glanced at her warningly. She remained silent, and looked around at the Wizengamot as nobody raised their hands, not even Fudge. Maybe one or two old witches in the far corners of the rooms raised their hands, but they were completely ignored by the other forty-eight members. Draco sighed in relief a second time, but his heart was still thudding painfully.

"Those in favour of five years of magically enforced probation?" came the next vote. A few more hands were raised this time, but still not enough to make that the decided punishment.

"Those in favour of attendance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and three years of magically enforced probation, after which all charges will be cleared?" said Elphias Doge this time. After this, almost every hand in the room was raised as they all agreed. That then became the final verdict, and the trial ended abruptly as Percy finished writing the last few words. A few moments later and Kingsley, Doge and Fudge all got out of their seats and escorted Draco and Hermione out of the room. The rest of the Wizengamot remained seated, as they were probably staying there all morning to continue doing trials and interrogations. Once they'd left the room they met with Snape and continued down the hallway for more privacy.

"I told you Hermione, nothing to worry about," said Kingsley with a smile.

"Well you scared me when you said one year in Azkaban-" Hermione retorted.

"That was the furthest extreme - it had to be voted on, it's just protocol," said the Minister casually as though he did it every day. Which, they realized, he probably had been doing it every day since he became Minister for Magic.

"I probably could have brought it down to one year of magical probation without Hogwarts, however I think three years is best - that way the Auror's are watching you and it keeps the escaped Death Eaters off your back," explained old Doge, almost in an apology, as he looked at Draco.

"Thank you, sir, it went absolutely fine," said Draco hurriedly, as he felt completely relieved at the result. Nobody had ever told him that the Wizengamot could clear people of all charges, but then he remembered how Hermione had told him that Harry had been cleared of all charges in his fifth year. He was incredibly lucky that Doge had suggested him to be cleared of all charges, because after three years all of the Death Eaters would hopefully be locked up anyway. Then he'd be free of all charges and his whole family would be free. It was exactly what he wanted.

"You're lucky the Minister has given you a chance, mister Malfoy. Lets just hope you don't turn out like your old man," said Fudge sternly.

"Lets also hope that you watch what you say about my father," came Draco's snappy reply.

"I can speak about-"

"Okay that's enough, come on Cornelius we've got another trial to do," said Kingsley, making it sound more like an order than conversation. Fudge glared at both Draco and Snape, before turning on his heel and striding down the hallway towards the trial room.

"Don't worry about him, he's always getting into arguments-" Kingsley continued with a shake of his head.

"But without Barty Crouch, he's one of the only good interrogators left," said Doge grimly.

"And he's promised to help us lock up all the Death Eaters, for as long as possible... but anyway, don't you two worry," said Kingsley in satisfaction as he turned to Hermione and Draco, "that's all settled now. However you may be required to return here over the summer to discuss your attendance to Hogwarts, being an ex-Death Eater and all. Other than that though, your mother is staying at the Leaky Cauldron - she's been there waiting for your trial to end for days. You can see her and return home now. Your father is... in Azkaban, so you'll have to visit him there, perhaps another time."

"Thank you," said Draco, as he nodded in understanding. Kingsley said goodbye to Snape, and then the two Ministry officials went back into the trial room to join the Wizengamot. Snape, Draco and Hermione left the hallway and headed back to the main entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic, where the golden statue was. Once there, they stood amongst the sea of Ministry workers who were arriving for work early in the morning, and turned to each other.

"I have to go to Diagon Alley to see Professor McGonagall, for Hogwarts business. You can come with me Draco, and go home with Narcissa. Granger, I'll take you back to The Burrow-" Snape began. It felt rather odd hearing Snape talk to them outside of school, since he'd been their professor and he'd taught them since they were eleven years old. However, Hermione realized that Draco was perfectly comfortable around Snape, since they were so alike and Snape had been his mentor the entire time at Hogwarts. Likewise she was much more comfortable around McGonagall. It was probably due to their different houses.

"No, I want to come to Diagon Alley for a while," said Hermione quickly as she glanced at Draco, who nodded.

"We have some _'Hogwarts business'_ too," said Draco sarcastically.

"How lovely. You'll have to apparate to The Burrow yourself then, miss Granger? Because once we arrive at Diagon Alley, I won't be seeing either of you again until Hogwarts. What a pity," said Snape with equal sarcasm. Hermione rolled her eyes at both of them, as they all held hands and prepared to apparate.

* * *

A few moments later and they'd apparated directly into the main street of Diagon Alley. The scene before them was quite amazing - construction and rebuilding. During the war most of the shops had been broken into, stolen from and destroyed. Most of the shop owners had been kidnapped and even killed, Ollivander being just one example. Of course at the end of the main street they could see _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_, a bright explosion of colour and noise that attracted most of the shoppers. Since Fred's death, nobody had been able to help comfort George - not even his other brothers, Molly or even Ginny. He'd been utterly broken, and a few days after the war had ended he left The Burrow without telling anyone and had been staying at the joke shop by himself ever since. Hermione decided to stop by and say hello, before returning to The Burrow. Every other shop along the street were being fixed up and re-opened, however, and some had new owners.

"Well, I've got to go. See you in two months, and see you... soon," said Snape, nodding towards Hermione for two months, and Draco for soon. Draco nodded in understanding and said goodbye, as Hermione struggled to figure out what he meant by it. Snape left them standing in the middle of the street, and headed over to Flourish and Blotts - the bookshop where Hogwarts students buy their school books from - where he was presumably meeting McGonagall. Maybe they were organizing next years new list of books, which excited Hermione more than ever. Books, subjects, classes, exams, corridors, the castle, the lake, the Gryffindor common room, Hagrid! Even Peeves and Moaning Mertle were rather fond memories. She couldn't believe that she was finally going to return to the familiar atmosphere of Hogwarts again.

"Bet you'd love to be in there," smirked Draco when he saw her staring over at the bookshop.

"No! I'm just excited about Hogwarts, that's all," said Hermione as she blushed.

"I'm just glad that everything's over," Draco replied with an audible sigh of relief.

"In a way, everything's just beginning though. What did Snape mean by, _'soon'_?" asked Hermione curiously as they began walking down the street.

"Oh, he's going to be visiting over the summer, since... my father's in Azkaban, and Snape promised to help me out. For Narcissa," explained Draco uncomfortably. Hermione nodded, as she guessed she kind of understood that. She supposed that Draco was right - Slytherin _was_ a close-knit house, and it made sense for Snape to be a mentor and father-figure to Draco at times. After all, it was Snape who'd been there for him during his sixth year, and it'd been Snape who'd taught him Potions, favoured him in class all of the time, and even protected him from Voldemort to an extent.

"What did Kingsley mean by me having to return to the Ministry about attending Hogwarts?" asked Draco next, in confusion.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you'll be under special circumstances or something, since you're an ex-Death Eater? It wouldn't have mattered anyway though, because McGonagall said she might be repeating the entire school. Seventh year is compulsory, so you would have been forced to attend anyway," said Hermione with a shrug.

"True. It's still going to suck either way," muttered Draco as he thought about it.

"Ooh, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour is open again!" exclaimed Hermione, as she pointed at the pleasant looking ice cream shop. She hurried over to it and Draco rolled his eyes as he followed her.

"What's so special about this place?" he asked when he sat down beside Hermione at one of the tables.

"Well, the owner was killed by Death Eaters, but someone must have bought his shop and re-opened it. And me and Harry just really like these ice creams," said Hermione cheerfully. They ordered ice creams, despite the fact that it was still very early in the morning. Draco couldn't help but smile as he realized how bizarre the entire situation was. He was having ice creams for breakfast with a muggle-born girl who he was supposed to hate, whom he'd kissed the night before. With Slytherin's and purebloods you just never did this sort of stuff. Ice creams were considered childish, lower-class even, and someone like Pansy would never have suggested,_ "let's go have ice creams!"_. Instead most girls would want to go to Madam Puddifoot's stupid pink tea shop at Hogsmeade, which he absolutely loathed. Plus he couldn't help but let his mind continuously dwell on the kiss the night before. Every time he looked at Hermione, he unconsciously pictured himself kissing her again. It was incredibly distracting.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Hermione, as he glanced at her. She licked her strawberry ice cream and smiled slightly.

"You. I mean, I can't believe I kissed you," said Draco awkwardly.

"I can't believe I _let_ you. Me and Ron were kind of going out last year, but he never even got close to kissing me. And even if he did, I wouldn't have let him because he's like a brother to me. But with you, it was..." said Hermione nervously, as she glanced at his lips and then to his eyes as she tried to find the words to describe it.

"_'Unexpected'_?" quoted Draco with a smirk, as that was exactly what she'd said the night before. Hermione laughed as she nodded.

"And... nicer than what I expected? Gosh sorry, that probably sounded stupid-" said Hermione in embarrassment.

"No, that's what I thought too," agreed Draco amusedly.

"What else did you think?" asked Hermione curiously this time. To be completely honest, she had only ever kissed one other guy in the past, and that was Victor Krum. To be completely honest again, Draco was a much better kisser than him. But that was probably because he'd kissed practically every Slytherin girl in their grade and Ginny's grade too.

"Kissing you again has been the only thought going through my head, now more than ever," admitted Draco, as he glanced down at her lips which were slightly coated with strawberry ice cream. She licked them and blushed, completely forgetting about her melting ice cream and everything else around them. Then she suddenly shook her head, and leaned back when she realized how close they'd been getting.

"We'd better not do it again, or else I won't be able to stop thinking about it for the next two months," said Hermione hurriedly. Draco felt a twinge of disappointment but he knew that she was right, as usual. His entire plan had been to forget that this had ever happened, so that he could go back to Hogwarts as an ordinary Slytherin seventh year. Kissing her again would only make everything harder. But deep down he found himself not caring about anyone or anything else but her. She was almost like an addiction, and the first kiss had him hooked instantaneously. Or maybe it was the first hug. Or the first genuine conversation.

"Okay, important stuff," said Hermione aloud, as if to snap them out of whatever trance they were in, "this is kind of goodbye, since we won't see each other again until Hogwarts, and when we're at Hogwarts anything could happen, so..."

"So I'll owl you. I'll need the address to The Burrow though, my owl has never been there-" said Draco, taking the hint and deciding to talk about the things that mattered most.

"And I'll need your houses address too. I haven't got an owl, Harry's died, and Ron's is a bit... you'll know what I mean when you see it," said Hermione with a small laugh. She imagined the miniature owl called Pig flying all the way to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire - wherever that was - and then collapsing inside Draco's room with a letter from her. That's what it usually did on long-distance flights between her house and The Burrow. Draco smirked slightly as he wondered what he'd be able to do to Ron's owl, perhaps as revenge for all the arguments and disagreements they'd had whilst hunting horcruxes.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's _my_ owl too - don't do anything mean to it," said Hermione sharply as she looked up from the piece of paper she was writing on.

"Wow how do you do that? I'm beginning to wonder whether you're secretly studying Legilimency-" smirked Draco sarcastically.

"Or you're just predictable sometimes," smiled Hermione as she finished writing the address. Then she tore the piece of paper in half and handed him the blank piece and a pen, so that he could write down Malfoy Manor's address. He stared at the pen and paper blankly.

"This isn't parchment, and what on earth do I-?" he began in confusion.

"Oh! It's muggle paper, and a pen. The pen has the ink in it already, so you don't need a quill and ink bottle," explained Hermione, after laughing at his confusion. Draco's eyes widened slightly as he inspected the blue ballpoint pen.

"Of course - _muggles_ - always making everything strange," he went on, as he tried to appear unimpressed.

"Yeah right, you have to admit that pens are _much_ easier to use than quills and ink bottles," argued Hermione exasperatedly.

"They're too muggle-like and uncomfortable. I think I'll just stick to my golden phoenix-feathered quill at home," said Draco indifferently as he wrote down his address in fancy hand-writing. Hermione rolled her eyes at his obvious, _'I'm-better-than-everyone'_ attitude, but found herself smiling anyway. When he handed her the piece of paper with Malfoy Manor's address on it, she handed him the paper with The Burrow's address.

"If you don't like pens, you could always go to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes - they've got self-inking quills, so you still won't need an ink bottle," Hermione went on casually. Draco blinked slightly in surprise, as he realized how helpful that really was. Everyone hated the ink bottles, they was extremely frustrating and hard to clean up when you spilt them or knocked them over. And it was really slow in class, and you constantly ran out and had to go buy more. With Hogwarts coming up and everyone hating him, using an ink bottle in class probably wouldn't be the smartest idea - he could almost guarantee that people will knock it over purposefully. He knew because he'd done it to other people in the past - including Hermione, actually.

"Those would be useful, but I don't think I'll be strolling into Weasley's shop anytime soon," said Draco, as he glanced down the street at it. Hermione nodded in understanding.

"I think I'll visit and see George before I go back to The Burrow. I feel so sorry for him," Hermione sighed. Draco didn't reply, and she realized that he wouldn't know what to say at that point, because he didn't even have any siblings at all. Either did she for that matter, but at least she'd had the Weasley's, and they were all like brothers and sister to her. Draco had never had that sort of relationship with anyone, except for perhaps Crabbe and Goyle, who could be labelled either his bodyguards, cronies or brothers. They all fit quite well. Hermione noticed that Draco had glanced down the other side of the street towards the Leaky Cauldron, where his mother had been waiting for days. She could see the anxious, longing and almost protective gaze he had in his eyes. She'd never seen him be protective of anyone. It was yet another surprise that made her realize that there was still so much she didn't know about him.

"Do you miss her?" asked Hermione quietly.

"More than you know. If anyone had hurt her when I was gone I would have killed them," admitted Draco openly.

"I miss my mum and dad too. It feels like an eternity since I saw them last, and I can't wait to restore their memories. And now I'm going to miss you too," said Hermione, as she looked at him sadly. They could both feel that the time had come for them to say their final goodbyes, and they'd both been secretly dreading it.

"You'll see your parents again though, and you'll see me again. I guarantee it," said Draco, as he genuinely smiled.

"I know. Well... I'll see you in two months, Malfoy," said Hermione, after taking a deep breath. She stood up and put his address in her pocket, before hugging him tightly in goodbye.

"See you at Hogwarts, Granger," Draco murmured into her ear as he held her.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What did you think of the trial and the punishment?

- How do you think Narcissa will react when she sees Draco?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	27. Chapter 27

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  
We've all got both light and dark inside us.  
What matters is the part we choose to act on.  
That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 27**

When Hermione had said her final goodbyes to Draco and they parted ways, she desperately felt like turning around and just staying with him in Diagon Alley for the entire day. But she knew she couldn't, and even if she could, it wouldn't seem right. He was heading back to his hysterical mother, his condemned father, and his own life which was now shattered into pieces. He would probably want privacy when he was reunited with Narcissa, just like she will want privacy when she goes to restore her parents' memory. She was heading back to her loving parents, her loving friends, her bright future and her own life which was quite the opposite of his. As she thought about all of this, she headed down the street towards Fred and George's - well, just George's now - their joke shop, which was bursting with colour and activity. Hermione looked over her shoulder and saw the back of Draco's retreating figure, walking the opposite direction towards the gloomy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. She sighed.

The past four weeks - the past seven years, actually - had been completely wild, unpredictable, dangerous, extraordinary, sad, unfortunate... but also beautiful, amazing and magical. Anything was possible in a world like that, anything was possible with wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort. But now that world was over, Voldemort was finished at last, many people had died, and the aftermath was going to be something entirely different. With these thoughts in her mind, Hermione entered the _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_ shop, and made her way towards the counter. The shop was massive now, even larger than what it had been the first time she'd seen it, and she found herself smiling in awe at the sight. Fred and George truly were genius', with the amount of inventions they'd come up with.

"Fancy seeing you here Hermione, what can I get you?" asked a pleasant voice from behind her. Hermione swirled around and saw George leaning casually against a stand of Skiving Snackboxes, Ton-Tongue Toffees and a range of other new magical lollies.

"Oh I'm fine, I was just in Diagon Alley and thought I'd stop by. How are you?" asked Hermione, as she watched him walk around her towards the counter.

"How am I? That's a tricky question, on the inside I'm dreadful but on the outside I'm brilliant," answered George in the same pleasant tone. Hermione raised an eyebrow in confusion, as she watched him unwrap a lolly and pop it in his mouth.

"A new invention - Cheery Chocolates - it's basically like a Cheering Charm, it just makes you happy," he explained as he threw one to Hermione.

"You've been eating these to stay sane?" asked Hermione incredulously, as she inspected the chocolate.

"Yep-"

"George, you really shouldn't be doing this. Cheery Chocolates, Ton-Tongue Toffees and other magical candy aren't good for you-" she said with a reluctant sigh. She was vividly reminded of how the twins had tested their candy on Hogwarts students just years before, and how they'd used one on Dudley to make his tongue gigantic. They weren't very fond memories for Hermione, because she was a prefect at the time and she thought that what they were doing was wrong.

"Nothing's good for me anymore, Hermione. I'm not good, on the inside. This shop, our inventions, are the only things keeping me going," replied George as he leaned against the counter and smiled.

"I suppose. Promise me you'll stop using them soon though? Too much of these could be dangerous," said Hermione as she walked over and put the chocolate back on the counter. She didn't even want to know how he tested them to make sure they were safe.

"I promise. Enough of me though, what about you? What're you doing in Diagon Alley on this fine morning?" began George as he sorted money at the counter.

"Kingsley asked me to be a witness for Draco Malfoy's trial. It ended earlier, so I decided to stick around and see you," said Hermione casually.

"_Malfoy_, I never liked that git. How'd his trial go?" asked George, sniggering slightly.

"Just a few years of magical probation, and he has to attend Hogwarts. He's not that bad anymore either, you know. After the war... everyone has changed," said Hermione in a forced casual tone. She didn't want to make it sound like she was defending Draco, because after what George had been through, he probably hated all Death Eaters to the very core.

"You're right, everyone has changed. Some people have changed so much, that they're now a lifeless body in the ground. Or they've become idiots who get high on happiness candy," said George in a rather shaky voice.

"As you can probably tell, the Cheery Chocolates are a bit faulty and the magic tends to wear off unpredictably. They won't be on the shelves until I've got the ingredients just right-" George went on, as he got another lolly from his pocket and prepared to eat it to help cheer himself up again. Hermione grabbed his wrist however, and took the lolly from his fingers.

"Don't, George. Suppressing emotions only makes it worse, sometimes talking to someone about it helps-" she suggested.

"I've talked about it enough, that doesn't help. The only thing that will ever make things right again is having my twin back, just once, but that's impossible," snapped George as he pulled his arm from her grasp.

"Your inventions and the shop must be helping though, you said that yourself," said Hermione helpfully.

"They do help, mainly to distract me and keep me busy. But it also reminds me of him constantly, which is driving me insane. I can't escape from the memories, because everything we did and everywhere we went, we were together. It's like trying to distract myself from my own shadow," explained George in an extraordinarily calm voice. He was much more relaxed about it than he had been on the night of Fred's death. Just a few nights earlier and he was a devastated, hysterical mess, barely capable of speaking. And now he could talk about it fluently - Hermione supposed that it was the Cheery Chocolates still working their magic on his emotions. Maybe the chocolate was a mixture of Cheering Charms and Calming Draught potion? Who knew how the Weasley twins invented it.

"I wish I could relate, but... I've never had a twin. The closest thing to twins would be Harry and Ron, and I can't even imagine what losing them would do to me," said Hermione softly.

"Tear you apart, that's what it would do," answered George grimly.

"Well, at least I'd have some Cheery Chocolates to cheer me up," said Hermione with a grin.

"Right you are - and ice cream too, that always helps."

"Speaking of ice cream, we had - I mean, I had some ice cream from that Fortescue's ice cream shop down the road earlier. I thought he died though?" said Hermione, wondering if George would know what happened to the other shop owner.

"He was killed by Death Eaters a while back. How did you like my ice creams, though?" asked George, with his trademark wink.

"_Your_-? You bought Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour?" asked Hermione in surprise.

"Yep, I'm spreading my business horizons. I'm currently inventing some Cheery Chocolate ice cream too. Perhaps I'll make Super-Strength Strawberry as well, or Vanilla Valentine - a love potion ice cream," George went on with a casual shrug.

"You sure are busy," said Hermione, clearly impressed.

"Well, it was Fred's idea to have ice cream inventions, he thought of that ages ago. So it just made sense to buy the shop," said George cheerfully as he looked down the street at the ice cream shop from the window beside the counter.

"I like the idea, me and Harry loved that shop. But enough of business - you should really visit The Burrow again, everyone's worried about you," Hermione pointed out sincerely.

"I know, I'll stop by sometime next week. I've just needed some alone time to get my head straight," said George calmly. After that they went on to talk more about his shop and how he was coping. They also talked about how Hermione, Harry and Ron - she left Draco out - managed to stay alive during the war and eventually return to defeat Voldemort with the rest of the Order. She also left out the entire _'horcruxes'_ part of the story, as they hadn't fully decided on who they could tell. Harry had said that there was really no need to go raving about horcruxes, because Voldemort was dead and it didn't matter how or why. What mattered was that they should just move on, and put everything behind them. So instead, Hermione didn't mention horcruxes and just said that they were hiding and staying alive, and planning on how to defeat Voldemort. When she finally left Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, George gave her a box of Cheery Chocolate and a Skiving Snackbox, even though she'd never use it to get out of classes.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Draco stood outside the Leaky Cauldron and took a deep breath before entering. Life as an ex-Death Eater had officially began, and he experienced his first taste of what it was going to be like. The moment he stepped into the wizarding pub, a hushed silence spread over the room and all eyes stared at him piercingly. Out in the street nobody seemed to notice him because it was so early, and at the Ministry it was common to see Death Eaters being marched to and from trial. Here however, in an ordinary public place, he was unexpected and obviously unwelcome. He ignored the stares and headed straight to Tom, the landlord.

"I'm here to see my mother," said Draco shortly.

"Ah young Malfoy, of course. Follow me," said Tom hastily, as he lead Draco past the counter and up a flight of stairs to the rented rooms. They walked down to the far end of the corridor, before Tom stopped and indicated to the door beside them. Draco thanked him and he hurried back downstairs either out of fear, or to continue working. Draco didn't care either way, he didn't care about anyone else but himself and his mother at that point. He took another deep breath and knocked on the door hard. In just a few short moments it flew open, and he was staring not up - but down at Narcissa Malfoy. It felt as though he'd grown a few inches since he'd last seen her, even though it had only been four weeks. Or maybe he'd just grown stronger from the war while his mother had grown weaker. Her eyes were the same though - a perfect, sparkling blue colour. Well, they were sparkling from tears, as she sobbed and threw her arms around her son wordlessly. Draco wrapped his arms around her in turn, holding her tightly. Unlike his sixth year when he'd been embarrassed about her hugging him outside the Hogwarts Express, now he didn't care. After everything they'd been through, it was a miracle that they hadn't been killed, sent to Azkaban or separated for some other reason.

"I should have came earlier, I promised myself I would come back for you when I escaped-" began Draco, as he remembered that the last time they'd even seen each other was when he was thrown into the cellar with Hermione. After that, he escaped from the cellar with the other prisoners, and he'd never said goodbye. He'd made a promise to return to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible, to personally save his parents, but complications arose and he was never able to. Narcissa shook her head however.

"No - y-you're alive, you're all that m-matters to me Draco, y-you have no idea h-how worried your f-father and I have b-been," sobbed Narcissa, as she looked up at him but didn't let go.

"How is he? When can I see him?" asked Draco, wishing to be reunited with his father also.

"A m-mess. He's been b-blaming himself f-for everything, he thinks he's been a t-terrible husband and f-father. Azkaban will _r-ruin_ him," Narcissa went on, crying even harder now as she talked about Lucius.

"I want to see him soon," said Draco. It felt like an eternity since he had actually spoken to Lucius in a father-and-son kind of way. Since the second wizarding war began, since Voldemort's return, Lucius had been reluctantly dragged back into the Death Eater circle. After that, all warmness and fatherly guidance were almost forgotten, as the older wizard struggled to obey and follow Voldemort's orders, and keep his wife and son safe at the same time. He'd succeeded too - for a while. Then during Draco's fifth year, Lucius was sent to Azkaban for trying to steal the prophecy for Voldemort. After he escaped Azkaban, he was then punished by Voldemort, and that was the reason Draco was ordered to kill Dumbledore. To either die as Lucius' punishment, or succeed to make up for Lucius' failures. Then Draco also failed to kill Dumbledore, and their entire family was considered a _'disgrace'_ to the Death Eaters. Seventh year came around and they were practically prisoners in their own home. And all of this happened to them because Lucius joined the Death Eaters at the age of seventeen, when he was Draco's age, many years ago. And now, as Narcissa said, Lucius was blaming himself - which was going to be a very difficult thing to witness. For someone so proud and arrogant to openly admit his failures and blame himself for them, it wasn't easy - Draco knew from experience. He'd had to overcome quite a bit of pride and arrogance in order to say sorry to Hermione, and to admit that he liked her.

"We w-will see him, Draco. But for now, he isn't h-here. You have to help me s-sell things, get some money, fix the house-" Narcissa began, as her crying faded now that she had her son again. She regained her traditionally cold and rather strong voice as she described all the things they had to do.

"Okay, okay, I get the point. Let's get out of this place though," said Draco, looking around the shabby rented room with distaste.

"Our house isn't much better, Draco. It's been d-destroyed after everything that's happened," she said with a sigh.

"When the Order came for You-Know-Who, did you get hurt? What happened-?" asked Draco urgently as he remembered.

"No it was fine. The new Minister for Magic was there, and I didn't draw my wand so they left me. Lucius was stunned, but that's only because he tried to draw his wand to p-protect me - you know how he is," said Narcissa, with a smile as she wiped her eyes. Draco knew exactly how Lucius was - with arrogance and pride, obviously comes protectiveness. He wouldn't let anyone touch his family, or his house or his wealth. Anyone, apart from Voldemort that is. Nobody could exactly resist Voldemort, trying to do so was suicide, so Death Eaters rarely tried. And Lucius was still a Slytherin, so he still had some cowardly attributes and he knew not to disagree with Voldemort. Perhaps it _was_ Lucius' fault that they were in this mess, but it was also thanks to Lucius that his wife and son had come out alive and together. Draco found himself hating, but also respecting his father.

"Enough of me and your father - your trial? How did it go?" asked Narcissa, as she held his arm softly.

"Three years of magical probation, and I have to go to Hogwarts. After that though, I'm cleared of all charges," Draco answered.

"Oh thank god - next year we'll all be together again, once Lucius is out of Azkaban. We'll set things straight, I promise," said Narcissa adamantly. After that they continued talking as Draco helped pack his mothers things so that they could return to Malfoy Manor. He discovered that when he'd left with the other prisoners, both his parents had been tortured and punished for the weeks that he was gone. That explained her exhausted appearance, and it made him hate Voldemort more than he could imagine. He also found out that he was considered a 'traitor' to all of the remaining Death Eaters, and Narcissa said it was lucky that he was going to Hogwarts. Outside in the wizarding world there were still Death Eaters and supporters of Voldemort on the run, and none of them would be happy to see him. At last everything was packed into a small enchanted bag which reminded him of Hermione's bag, so they paid Tom and left the building. Outside in the street as they prepared to apparate, Narcissa turned to him.

"I love you, Draco. You're everything to me," his mother said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I know," replied Draco, as he was used to his mothers affection. He looked over his shoulder down the street, hoping to see Hermione Granger one last time. He thought he saw a swish of wavy brown hair in amongst the crowd, but it might have just been his imagination. God, he was going to miss her.

* * *

Back at The Burrow, Hermione was having breakfast later on in the morning with everyone else. She couldn't get the image of Narcissa kissing Draco on the cheek before they apparated away out of her mind, however. At Hogwarts everyone had always thought that he was just a heartless Slytherin git, and she herself thought this the most. Of course they always knew that Narcissa sent him sweets and chocolates every day during their first year, but they just thought that it was because he was a spoilt brat. Which was probably true when he was eleven years old. When sixth year started though, and his mother had kissed him before he got onto the Hogwarts Express, it was obvious that she truly loved him more than anything. And when he'd been thrown in the cellar four weeks ago, she'd begged Voldemort for mercy. She'd made the Unbreakable Vow with Snape, so that her son wouldn't have to kill Dumbledore. She'd done so many things for him, wasn't that exactly the same as Harry's mother? Lily died for Harry, and Narcissa would do _anything_ for Draco. It was such a powerful form of love. And Hermione remembered how worried Draco had been for his parents, and how much he missed them when he'd escaped. It was obvious that he would do anything for them too.

Hermione sighed - _Slytherin's_. On the outside they're so damn cold and heartless, but on the inside they're unexpectedly human. Some of them are even brave. Regulus Black for example, died trying to destroy one of Voldemort's horcruxes. Severus Snape risked his life every single day for over seventeen years to keep Harry safe and defeat Voldemort - even though he hated Harry. So much sacrifice, and yet they were considered to be cowards and gits by everyone else.

"Hermione what are you so quiet for?" asked Harry curiously, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Wha-? Oh, I'm just thinking," said Hermione, as she waved her wand as though it didn't matter.

"You should be celebrating, we're finally rid of Malfoy. Another day of seeing his face and I would've been in St Mungo's," said Ron with a grin.

"I can't _believe_ he's going to Hogwarts," complained Ginny grumpily.

"At least we can get back at him though. I might get a few Ton-Tongue toffees and use one on him, how funny would it look if his tongue was huge like your cousins Harry-?" said Ron, obviously referring to the time when Dudley ate one of the toffees. While he was saying this, Hermione put her fork down on her plate and stood up from the table abruptly.

"Where are you going?" asked Ron in surprise as she turned to leave the kitchen.

"To my room, I'm not hungry," Hermione snapped coldly. When she at last reached her room, she felt like slamming her door closed as hard as she could, but instead she took a deep breath and closed it quietly. This was just the first day of Draco being gone, and already she was sick of how her friends talked about her... other friend. They seemed to forget that she'd helped him with his trial, stuck up for him, and even defended him at times. Didn't they realize that she liked him? But then when she thought about it, no, they probably didn't realize. She didn't exactly make it obvious, her and Draco had been trying to keep it a secret the entire time and it obviously worked. They might have suspected something, but now that he was gone, they presumed that he was gone for good. He wasn't gone for good, however - quite the opposite, actually. Hermione pulled the address of Malfoy Manor from her pocket, as she imagined seeing him again at Hogwarts in two months time.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- Do you want a Cheery Chocolate? :D

- More characters are beginning to be introduced, such as George, Snape and Narcissa for example. Many other characters will become important later on as well. Who do **you** want to read more of, and who are your favourite characters?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	28. Chapter 28

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 28**

Destroyed, demolished, ruined, wrecked and smashed. These were probably the most adequate words to describe what Malfoy Manor looked like at first glance, when Draco had initially arrived home. Those words could probably describe his life as well, to an extent. For the past two days he'd been helping his mother fix and mend all of the broken objects and furniture, clean away all of the rubbish, debris and even blood. The goal was to make the mansion look as good as new again, but it was a massive building and they were still a long way from being finished. Rebuilding the house almost felt like rebuilding his life, but he knew that at Hogwarts it wouldn't matter. Hogwarts was already built, his reputation was already built, he already had the Dark Mark and he'd already done too many bad things. He found himself thinking and dreading being in the castle again. The only good thing about Hogwarts that he could think of was being with Slytherin friends again, and seeing Hermione. As if on cue, he suddenly heard the squawking of an owl approaching from outside. He was incredibly relieved, because he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her for the past two days. His owl had been at Hogwarts, so he wasn't able to send a message - and he didn't want to use the family owl, or Narcissa's owl. It was too risky to use them to send messages to Hermione Granger, the mudblood. Using his own owl was better, because it ensured privacy.

"I'll get it," came his mother's voice from downstairs, obviously meaning the owl. Draco's heart went in override.

"NO! Wait, wait!" he called, as he hurried down the stairs.

"What do you mean? It's just a tiny owl-"

"It's private, don't open it-!" said Draco as he reached the room downstairs where his mother had opened the window. As Hermione had described, the owl was a tiny fluffy thing and the name _'Pig'_ was very fitting, as he watched it land on the windowsill.

"Is it from a girl? Are you already writing to Pansy-?" asked Narcissa in surprise.

"No, it's not that-" scoffed Draco, as he'd totally forgotten about his previous girlfriend. It'd been months since he last saw Pansy, and since then his mind was occupied by another girl.

"Well then I want to read it, it's obviously from someone odd, look at the owl-" Narcissa went on in amusement as she reached out and held the fluffy ball of feathers gently.

"Okay fine it's from Pansy, don't open it," snapped Draco as he pretended to be embarrassed. His mother was excellent at spotting lies though, and her eyes narrowed at him curiously. He knew that he couldn't lie to her. Mothers always knew the truth, and it was even more true when you had a Slytherin witch mother who was experienced in Occlumency and Legilimency.

"Your acting skills need some work Draco, you look rather bizarre when you're embarrassed-"

"_Accio letter_!" Draco hissed impatiently after he'd drawn his wand. The letter soared through the air, and landed directly in his hand. On the front of it was Hermione's beautiful hand-writing, in a muggle pen. Thankfully Narcissa hadn't seen the writing, or else she would have been even more inclined to read it, as no normal witch or wizard wrote with muggle objects. After he'd caught it and read the front cover and looked back up, Narcissa was standing there glaring at him firmly.

"What on earth is in that letter?" she asked.

"It's from Pansy. You agreed that you'd never read my letters back in my third year!" said Draco as he stuffed the letter into his pocket hastily.

"I agreed that I'd never read letters that your eagle owl was holding, because I respect privacy. But a letter from a stranger, after the war, while our family are labeled as criminals - some letters are unsafe to read!" argued Narcissa, as she glanced at his pocket suspiciously.

"It's not from a stranger, it's from Pansy. I obviously knew that she was going to owl me today, that's why I came running. She got a new owl," Draco continued lying in determination. It obviously made sense, because why else would he have been so desperate for her not to read it? And even if he was lying, it was obvious that the letter was private. And his mother - all Slytherin families, actually - respected privacy. After a couple of seconds, Narcissa sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But I don't want to see that owl again. Send my owl to Hogwarts and get that McGonagall lady to send yours back here, and use yours from now on," said Narcissa, despite her curiosity. It was obvious that the letter wasn't from Pansy Parkinson. No proper wizarding family would have such a small and unusual owl. It was the kind of owl that cheaper families would settle for, like the _Weasley's_, thought Narcissa with distaste. Although she had to admit, Vincent and Gregory were rather stupid, and therefore stupid things amused them. It wouldn't surprise her if this puny owl and letter was just part of some immature joke. Regardless, once she'd said that Draco just nodded quickly and sprinted up the stairs as quickly as he'd come down. Narcissa rolled her eyes - he was so excited that he'd forgotten that he could just apparate to his room, like any other normal wizard would. Perhaps the four weeks with the Order of the Phoenix had made him lose his common sense.

* * *

Upstairs in his room, Draco quietly shut the door, moved to his desk and pulled the envelope out. After re-reading the front a few times to make sure it was real, he opened it and began reading the letter inside.

_'Dear Malfoy, (or should I use your first name? Gosh, I've never called you Draco in real life, so I'm not sure?)._

_How are things at your fancy mansion? Are your parents okay? I wish we could just see each other, that way this wouldn't have to be so formal. I'm honestly not sure what to write about. Well, I'm still living at The Burrow for now because I'm not sure when to go and restore my parents' memories. I'm still worried about it - you're the only person who knows how worried I am, actually. After Fred and Tonks and everyone else passing away, I don't want to go telling Ron or Harry how worried I am for my perfectly alive parents. I'm really lucky compared to them, so I'll just keep it to myself._

_Ron was glad to see you gone. He made that rather obvious just ten minutes ago, I'm actually in Ginny's room writing this. They frustrate me so much sometimes, they aren't even acknowledging your help, and Ron can be really hypocritical. I'm just doing my best to ignore them and get this summer over with. I can't wait to be back at Hogwarts._

_Let me know how you are!_

_Hermione.'_

Once he'd finished reading the letter he found himself half smirking and half smiling as he searched his room for parchment. He wasn't entirely sure when she'd written the letter, since he had no idea how far away The Burrow was from his house. And the owl was so small, it was probably really slow too, so he guessed that she'd written and sent the letter a day or two ago. Of course she was excited to be back at Hogwarts, she was probably studying all of her sixth year work in preparation for their seventh year. After reading her letter and realizing that he'd be stuck in this gloomy building for almost two months, he couldn't help but be excited for Hogwarts as well though. But to make matters worse, he'd now have Narcissa peering over his shoulder half the time trying to figure out who was sending him letters. When he'd at last found some parchment, he quickly wrote a letter to Hogwarts asking for his eagle owl back. And then he took a deep breath and began writing his reply to Hermione.

_'To Granger,_

_I think we should probably avoid first names in these letters, because my mother nearly read your first letter and now she's suspicious about something. (Probably because I Accio'd it out of her hands). And don't send your midget owl - Pig? - again, because she will probably read the next letter. And because he's incredibly slow and stupid looking. And try not to write in muggle pens, because that will cause huge problems if my mother sees it. My owl has been at Hogwarts, but I'm getting it back, so we'll use mine instead. You should go restore your parents memories whenever you feel like it. I've got the same problem, I'm not sure when to go and visit my father in Azkaban... and I don't know what to expect either. You should talk to Pothead and Weasel - your parents losing their memories isn't "lucky" in comparison to anything, in my opinion._

_I'm looking forward to Hogwarts as well, because it can't be any worse than here. But at the same time I'm also not looking forward to it, at all, for obvious reasons. Have you started studying any of your sixth year work?_

_Remember to reply with my eagle owl when it arrives at The Burrow._

_Malfoy.'_

Once he'd finished both letters he went back downstairs with them. Thankfully Narcissa was not in the kitchen, so he quickly tied his letter to Hermione to Pig's leg, and told the owl to return to her. It fluttered out of the window with an excited hoot, and was out of sight in seconds. Next, he went upstairs to the top floor where all of the Malfoy owls were kept in the owlery, and tied his letter to Hogwarts to Narcissa's black owl, asking for his eagle owl back. Once he'd finished sending both letters, he returned to his room and was once again plunged into the dull boredom of Malfoy Manor. There was nothing to do but talk to Narcissa and clean, and he was considering going over to Greg's, Vincent's or Blaise's places for a few days. Or Pansy's, but the thought of her made him cringe. It was going to be awkward being around her - it was going to be awkward being around all of the Slytherin's now that he had such a dangerous secret to keep from them.

* * *

Another week had passed in a similar fashion to the first two days. Once Draco's eagle owl had returned home from Hogwarts, their letters became much more frequent because his owl was faster than Pig. Due to the faster owl, he was able to send Hermione letters nearly every day, like he'd promised. Their letters mostly described how their everyday life was, and Hermione soon found out that Draco's was much more quiet and less crazy than hers. While he was stuck at Malfoy Manor with only himself and Narcissa, there was practically nothing to do there. Hermione on the other hand, was stuck at The Burrow with everyone else, and it was rather chaotic. Draco found himself envying all of Hermione's company, while Hermione found herself envying his quiet, rich lifestyle. Hermione would do anything to be able to sit in her room, studying and reading in complete silence for hours on end. At The Burrow, however... that just wasn't possible.

"Hermione!" yelled a voice from outside her room. Well, outside Ginny's room technically. A moment later there were loud knocks on her door and it opened a second later without her permission. There was hardly any privacy in The Burrow, which made her even more envious of how Draco lived.

"What is it now, Harry? You know that I'm studying-" began Hermione as she looked up from her textbook.

"You've got to come and see-"

"I haven't got time for Quidditch-"

"It's about Hogwarts-"

"_What_!" Hermione snapped instantly, as she jumped up from her bed. Harry grinned, knowing that that would change her mind in a heartbeat. He lead her out into the kitchen where Ron, Ginny and Mrs Weasley were already standing around the kitchen table. It was around lunch time, so the table was also covered in food and Ron had a sandwich in each hand. All eyes were on the Daily Prophet though, as everyone silently read a large article which Hermione assumed was about Hogwarts. Once she'd gotten close enough, she began to read it.

* * *

_'Hogwarts - Big Changes_

_Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has undergone massive changes since the end of the war just weeks ago. Due to all of the disasters that have taken place, including Death Eater influences, unsatisfactory teachers and education, inter-school rivalry, student and teacher injuries and deaths - change has been inevitable. Over the past seven years life at Hogwarts has been chaotic, but all of this is in the past and now we must focus on the future. The new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, has been at the Wizengamot for the past five days debating how to improve Hogwarts for future generations of students. One of the biggest issues has been the 'Repeat Year' suggestion. This was suggested because many muggle-born students were unable to attend last year, there were Death Eater's teaching subjects incorrectly, and it was a very dark time. The Repeat Year quite simply means that all students repeat last year, so that all students may receive a fresh start. While this sounds like a fantastic idea, it has also been the basis of heavy debate._

_"Having a Repeat Year is completely out of the question. If last year's first year students repeat, that means this year's first year students will not be able to attend Hogwarts. It is Hogwarts tradition to have a new generation of students every year, and all children should have an equal chance to learn magic. A Repeat Year is unconstitutional, and I will not allow it," argued Minerva McGonagall, at one such debate in the Wizengamot. No students completed their O.W.L's or N.E.W.T's last year however, and that is why this has been such an important issue. Minerva McGonagall believes that all year groups should attend Hogwarts, including a new generation of first years. At the same time, the year group of Harry Potter should return for an 'eighth year', so that they may complete their N.E.W.T's fairly. This means that there will be new first years, a large influx of muggle-born students and a returning eighth year. The result? Hogwarts will have the highest amount of students in history, being the largest wizarding school in the world._

_Unfortunately however, there has been a shortage in teachers and it has been a struggle to find qualified professors willing to teach at Hogwarts. The Muggle Studies position is currently empty, as the previous professor was murdered. The Potions position is currently empty, as the previous professor has retired. The Defence Against the Dark Arts position is currently empty, as there is a long-standing belief that it is cursed, due to nobody lasting more than a year of teaching it. With the sudden increase of students and decrease of teachers, shortage of school funds and negative influence of the past seven years - the issues go on and on, but solutions have been made at last. The changes of Hogwarts will be stated below. These changes have been agreed upon by the Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shackelbolt, the Headmistress of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva McGonagall and the majority of the Wizengamot._

_- There will be eight year groups attending Hogwarts, and it is compulsory for all students to attend. More details on eighth year students will be added at a later date._

_- There will be more student roles in the management of Hogwarts. Four Prefects for every House. One Head of House Student, for every House. One Head Boy and Head Girl for the school. More details on these positions will added at a later date._

_- There will be Teaching Traineeship Programs available for seventh and eighth year students wishing to teach at Hogwarts. More details on these positions will be added at a later date._

_- There will be construction changes made to the Hogwarts castle, such as more classrooms, bathrooms and another dormitory. More details on these changes will be added at a later date._

_- There will be changes made to the Rules and Regulations of Hogwarts to improve the quality of learning. More details on these changes will be added at a later date._

_Further changes and improvements are being discussed every day, and we are certain that by the end of the summer holidays Hogwarts will be new, improved and ready for a fresh school year._

_Griselda Marchbanks, Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority.'_

* * *

When everyone had finished reading the article, an excited discussion broke out and Hermione couldn't stop thinking about what she'd just read. If her math was correct, four Prefects for every house, a Head of House Student and the Head Boy and Head Girl meant that there would be twenty-two students with significant power in the school. All of them, plus extra classrooms, bathrooms and another dormitory - they really were going to extreme measures to make sure that Hogwarts could cope with all of the extra students. Perhaps all of these changes had to be made in order for Hogwarts to be allowed to open, because Hermione knew that it had nearly been closed several times in the past. She found herself re-reading the part involving teaching traineeships and she couldn't help but smile. It had always been her dream to teach, and this was the best opportunity she would ever have.

"When do we get our letters? Do you think one of us will be Head of Gryffindor House? What does that even mean?" asked Ginny in excitement as she turned to the others. Hermione was still staring at the article, as she planned on writing to Draco about it immediately.

"I'm more concerned about which dormitory we'll be in-" said Harry worriedly.

"Will we be allowed to play Quidditch if we're eighth years?" asked Ron. The other three immediately got into a heated Quidditch discussion, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she hurried back into her and Ginny's room. After shutting the door and finding parchment, she sat down at her desk and searched for an ink bottle and quill. They'd been sending letters for just over a week now, and they'd come to a few agreements. The agreements were mainly to make sure that Narcissa wouldn't realize the letters were coming from a muggle-born. They included: no muggle pens, no muggle paper, no Pig and no first-names. Despite the fact that Hermione believed they should be able to be friends publicly, for now they were keeping it a secret. Draco was hoping that he wouldn't get caught by Narcissa or have to speak about it until after he'd seen Lucius in Azkaban. If Lucius discovered that his son was being friendly with a pretty muggle-born girl, there would be hell to pay. That was probably one of the few reasons Draco wanted to be at Hogwarts - he wouldn't have to put up with his blood-status fanatic parents. Instead he'd have about a thousand other students to worry about... it was a bad situation, and the only solution was to keep it a secret - from everyone. Hermione returned her thoughts to Hogwarts and the Daily Prophet article she'd just read, and began writing her letter.

_'Dear Malfoy_

_Have you read the Daily Prophet recently? You have to get the one for today, the third of July. Turn to page four, if you have it. There is a whole section on Hogwarts and what's happening this year, you have to read it! There are going to be more classrooms, another dormitory, Head of House Students and even teaching Traineeships for students who want to teach at Hogwarts next year. I can't believe it. Professor McGonagall has always been my favourite teacher, I always knew that she would make a great Headmistress. I can't wait to find out what the changes are going to be like, and what the Traineeships mean. If you've read the Daily Prophet, let me know what you think._

_Oh and I'm going to Australia to restore my parents memories this weekend. Thanks for suggesting it - Harry and Ron offered to help but I want to do it alone. I purposefully made my parents forget that I existed for almost a year, so I'm not sure what to expect. When are you going to see your father? Hope it goes well._

_A month and three weeks to go... I wish time would go faster._

_Hermione.' _

Now to send the letter. This was the tricky part, and it had resulted in quite a few sleepless nights for both of them, and a lot of luck. Nobody at The Burrow owned an eagle owl, and everyone knew what Malfoy's owl looked like so it was vitally important to not let anyone see it. The goal from the start was to keep their letters a secret, and this was how Hermione had managed to do so. First of all, Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor both have owleries - and Draco's owl is trained to deliver messages usually to the owleries or topmost buildings, with the exception of feasts in the Great Hall. What did all of this mean? Since The Burrow didn't have an owlery, Draco's eagle owl kept flying to the top floor and waiting there. This was convenient because Hermione now spent most of her time studying in a spare room at the top floor to get away from all of the noise downstairs. She left the window to the room open, and frequently checked - with the excuse of studying - to see if the owl was waiting. It was very risky though, and just two days earlier she'd overheard Harry and Ron complaining about _'hooting'_ in the middle of the night. So far though, nobody had seen the grey owl slip into the spare room at the top floor, and in a couple of days Hermione would be living in her muggle home again so there wouldn't be any need to hide owls. Once her letter was finished, she folded and tucked it into her pocket, and hurried out of Ginny's room. She knew that the owl was upstairs because she'd received a letter before breakfast that day, and Draco's owl always waited for a reply before leaving.

"There you are Hermione! Who do you think is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts-?" asked Ron as she ran past the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a sec, just checking something!" called Hermione, as she went up the stairs as quickly as possible.

"Blimey, she needs to stop studying," Ron continued in exasperation to Harry, who nodded.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- If you happen to find any spelling, grammar, punctuation or story errors please let me know!

- Which chapter do you think they'll be on the Hogwarts Express? (I've got no idea, I wonder if anyone can guess it though xD)

- What do you think the Teaching Traineeship Programs will be like?

- Where do you think the eighth year dormitory will be?

The last three questions are all going to be in the story, but to me they're only vague ideas. I haven't fully decided, so all of your answers will help improve my ideas and make the story better. Thank you to everyone who has waited and are still reading my story!

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	29. Chapter 29

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 29**

After a few more days at The Burrow, Hermione decided to try and restore her parents memories, despite the risks that she had been worrying about. She wanted to do this for a number of reasons, the most important one being that she hadn't seen her parents in almost an entire year, and she missed them. Throughout the war she had to live with the realization that if she died, her parents would continue living in another world without even knowing that she had existed. Another reason was simply that she wanted to return to her muggle home where it was quieter, so that she could study and owl Draco without being interrupted every five minutes. And living in her own home with her parents would bring back a sense of normality, after seven years of chaos at Hogwarts - which was most likely going to continue, once she returned to the castle. While all of these reasons were great, the risks still lingered in the back of Hermione's mind - what if it didn't work, and her parents never remembered her? What if it went wrong, and their memories were damaged further?

"I don't know what you're worrying about Hermione. You're a genius, you got top marks in every O.W.L-" said Ron, as though he'd read her mind.

"Not Defence Against the Dark-"

"That doesn't matter, you'll be fine. Make sure you owl us afterwards?" asked Harry, as he finished packing the last few books into her small, enchanted bag. Once he'd finished he handed it to Hermione, who smiled.

"I will, and I'll see you at Diagon Alley occasionally too," Hermione promised. Her bag was filled with all of her possessions, so she was completely packed and ready. After saying goodbye to everyone at The Burrow and promising to owl Ginny too, she finally left the large slanted house and walked up to the hill beside it. With one last glance at the place that had become almost like a second home to her, she took a deep breath and disapparated - her destination being Australia.

* * *

Draco was walking down a narrow, chillingly cold black corridor - his destination was cell two hundred and seventy. Beside him walked Narcissa, who was just as nervous as he was. They were going to see Lucius in Azkaban, and Draco felt rather relieved. Since Hermione was going to see her parents, he thought that it was also time to see his. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect, since his father had been in Azkaban for over two weeks already. Would he still be sane? What would they talk about? It wasn't like they could discuss how their day was, or what their plans for the holidays were. His fathers day was that cell, and his holiday was that cell too. There was nothing good about it. Draco had only been in Azkaban for ten minutes and he was already feeling depressed, and he hadn't even seen any Dementors yet. They apparently removed Dementors from the area people are visiting, but they don't let the prisoners out of their cells - ever.

"Here is cell two hundred and seventy. You have twenty minutes," said the Azkaban guard. He unlocked the cell door, and let Draco and Narcissa enter, before closing it again and leaving. Sitting on the other side of the cell was Lucius - shackled to the wall, however. It must have been another one of their rules, that prisoners had to be restrained during visits. He looked as though he hadn't had a shower in months, his long dirty blonde hair was rugged and unkept, he had black rings under his eyes and his face looked gaunt already. Regardless, Narcissa threw herself on him and Lucius wrapped his arms around his wife in turn. They stayed in embrace as Draco watched with a small smile, his thoughts somehow dwelling on Hermione. They snapped back to the present as soon as Lucius looked at him from over his mothers shoulder.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you two. This place is depressing," murmured Lucius, his voice sounding rather haunted.

"They don't let me visit much, they think I'm still on the Death Eaters' side," began Narcissa, as she ranted about the Death Eaters and snatchers who were still on the run. There was a good number of escaped criminals, and that restricted the amount of visits the currently captured ones were allowed.

"Don't worry about me, you take care of yourselves," said Lucius firmly, eying Draco as he said this. The hidden message there was, '_you take care of your mother while I'm not around_'.

"I'll visit every week when Draco goes to Hogwarts-" continued Narcissa.

"You're going to Hogwarts?" asked Lucius in surprise. Draco just nodded.

"Good, you'll be safe there. There are rumours - Amycus and Alecto Carrow are on the run, Dolohov and Greyback too-" Lucius began saying names, which were Death Eaters who were currently on the run.

"We know, their names are all over the Prophet-"

"And Rowle too, don't forget Rowle. You tortured him months ago Draco, he may want revenge, the Carrow's may want revenge as well - you have to think about these things-" continued Lucius, his face lined with worry. Draco remembered that clearly, and it was even in his Ministry trial - he'd used the Cruciatus curse on Thorfinne Rowle and Harry Potter, on separate occasions. He'd only done it to Rowle because he'd been ordered to by Voldemort, but his father was right. Most Death Eaters were just violent wizards with good memories, and everybody knew that Rowle didn't like being tortured by a Malfoy. What surprised him the most was that Lucius had remembered this, and how he knew about the other Death Eaters who were on the run.

"Lucius are you okay-?" asked Narcissa uncertainly.

"No, you have to listen. The people here are mad, all _mad_ - they believe in fairy tales," Lucius hurriedly continued.

"What fairy tales?" asked Narcissa again, a sense of worry in her eyes. Had Lucius already lost his mind?

"They believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is still alive - the other Death Eaters, here in Azkaban. They say it over and over in their cells, thinking they'll be rescued by the Dark Lord. They're mad-"

"But what does this have to do with us?" asked Draco curiously.

"Always think ahead, Draco. There are Death Eaters outside, and inside. The Death Eaters outside will never be safe, they're being hunted, the only way they can ever be safe is if they have protection, without the Dark Lord the only protection they have left is Bellatrix - Bellatrix and the rest of us, locked up in here. If the Death Eaters here escape, all hell will break lose - they're mad, all mad, psychotics-" by this point Lucius was practically babbling, but the words coming out of his mouth were not nonsense. Everything made sense.

"You think they will attempt to break her out of Azkaban?" whispered Narcissa. The _'her'_ was referring to her sister, Bellatrix, who was no doubt the most psychotic individual in the entire wizard prison.

"Yes. They believe she can protect them, and they believe the Dark Lord will return. If they're broken out, it will be dangerous. Stay at Hogwarts, stay at home. You must be careful," warned Lucius, as he leaned his head back against the stone wall tiredly. There was a shocked silence that followed, as they thought about what they'd just heard. Before they could say anything though, Lucius had continued speaking in a much more relaxed voice.

"This is all my fault. I've made horrible mistakes, I've been a terrible father and husband. Becoming a Death Eater, joining the Dark Lord, dragging you into it. All my fault. It has caused nothing but pain and death for us-"

"That isn't true, I agreed with everything you did. We are both responsible," said Narcissa firmly.

"You only agreed with me because you thought I was protecting us-"

"You did protect us, Lucius. We are alive, all three of us, aren't we? Can you imagine what would have happened to us if we'd joined Dumbledore instead? Look at the Order of the Phoenix now, half of them are dead or dying," Narcissa said hurriedly as she held his hand.

"I would rather death than another year of this place, Cissy. In a couple of months I'll probably be as mad as Bellatrix," whispered Lucius, his grey eyes filled with despair.

"Don't say that, Lucius. Don't you dare, you're strong and you'll get through this," said Narcissa firmly as she gripped his hand.

"I hope you're right, but it doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that you two take care of yourselves. Draco, I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. You're my only son, you're the future of our family and you've done nothing but make me proud. Just promise me that you won't follow in my footsteps," said Lucius painfully, his expression conveying the shame and guilt that he felt. Draco was surprised even further by what was said next.

"Be strong, patient and smart, be the man that I never was," Lucius continued gravely. The two weeks in Azkaban had obviously given Lucius plenty of time to think and reflect on his past, and he'd probably lost a good deal of happiness already. And although they didn't seem like much, those words meant a lot to Draco; they were the most significant things his father had ever said to him, and they had a much deeper meaning. The way he made decisions would be directly affected by these words, and he would never forget them.

"I will."

* * *

Life went back to normal after he'd visited Lucius, except for the fact that he hadn't been owling Hermione for a few days. She was still in Australia with her parents and Draco's owl wouldn't be able to find them, and it would likely take a week before she returned to her muggle home in London. So far it had been just over two weeks since they'd separated, two weeks of letters being sent between them. And when she finally returned to her muggle home, the amount of letters would increase because her muggle parents wouldn't have a problem with his owl around the house. But ever since Narcissa had nearly read Hermione's first letter, she had been suspicious about the whole situation. She'd also made Draco promise that he would use only his own owl to send letters, and she didn't want to see strange owls like Pig again. Unfortunately for both of them, Hermione sent a letter using Pig because it was urgent and she couldn't use Draco's owl. In an attempt to protect him from whoever it was sending him letters every day, his mother had taken and read the new letter that Pig had during the night. The next morning when Draco saw the tiny owl and realized what had happened, things got out of hand.

"I've read the letter, I know you're not sending them to Pansy!" argued Narcissa furiously.

"'Hermione' is one of Pansy's code-names, incase the letter got intercepted-" Draco lied.

"So Pansy sends you letters about her muggle parents and her excitement to return to Hogwarts? I know who this girl is, she's Potter's little mudblood friend, you complained about her for years. Do you honestly think I'm so stupid, Draco?" asked Narcissa sarcastically.

"I honestly think that you're an untrustworthy hypocrite. Give me my letter-" Draco demanded. The letter was obviously about Hermione's parents, and he didn't know whether she'd successfully restored their memories or not. This only made him want to read it even more, and he was extremely frustrated when he realized that his mother had read one of Hermione's most important letters without giving it to him.

"How dare you! Sending letters to a mudblood behind my back, and having the nerve to insult me-" screeched Narcissa in outrage.

"Maybe if you hadn't read the letter that you promised not to touch in the first place, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" spat Draco as he glared at her.

"Maybe if you hadn't been sending letters to a filthy mudblood for the past two weeks, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We don't socialize with people like them, don't try to blame me for this!" snapped Narcissa.

"_You_ don't socialize with them. I had to put up with them for four weeks - six years, actually - so I think I know them a bit better than you-"

"So you're defending them?" asked Narcissa.

"No, I'm just saying that not all of them are as bad as you say they are," argued Draco simply, not wanting to reveal his feelings for Hermione. He hated arguing with either of his parents - or any Slytherin's, for that matter - because they all had a way of twisting words and statements to their advantage, and they all had a way of figuring out the truth.

"Of course they're not bad. They're witches and wizards too, but they're lower class blood traitors and mudbl-"

"Yes I've heard it all before, you don't have to lecture me about that crap again," said Draco irritably.

"'That crap' just so happens to be centuries of our families tradition, and it's thanks to our tradition that you're in a wealthy, upper-class pureblood family with everything you want," snapped Narcissa.

"Everything I want? Give me the letter you read and get out of my room then," said Draco, knowing that it would frustrate her.

"You're not sending letters to this little mudblood ever again-"

"Stop using that word," said Draco angrily. There was a short pause as Narcissa blinked in surprise at what he'd said, and he immediately regretted it.

"For a while I thought you were just sending letters to her because she'd helped you with your trial, and maybe the four weeks with them had changed your mind a bit. But you actually like this girl, don't you?" asked Narcissa incredulously.

"I don't like her. I've been bullying her since our first year, I made her life hell when we were little - all because of the lies you told me. And now I've realized that she wasn't that bad all along-" began Draco in frustration.

"And there's no need to be guilty for it, Draco. You don't owe them anything, the war is over and we're moving on. You're not going to contact her anymore," said Narcissa firmly.

"I'm going to do whatever I want," said Draco with equal firmness.

"Not in this house-"

"At Hogwarts, then-"

"And what do you think your father would do, if he found out? He's already under enough stress in Azkaban. If you don't follow the families traditions, you won't be part of the family. By the time you get out of Hogwarts, Lucius will be out of Azkaban. He'll disown you, and you'll be out on the streets with nothing - is sending letters to a mudblood worth all this trouble?" asked Narcissa in exasperation. There was a long silence as Draco glared at his mother and thought about this. She was right of course, and he was slowly but surely being cornered. His family was all that he had left - he had nowhere else to live, and no other source of money to survive on. Choosing Hermione over his family would also cause him to lose his Slytherin friends, and the only person he'd have left would be Hermione, because none of her relatives or friends would ever accept him. Once again he had the depressing idea that perhaps being friends with a muggle-born was just bizarre and unrealistic. Choosing her would mean to give up everything else, and he couldn't do that. He didn't reply, so Narcissa continued.

"You might not realize it now Draco, but I'm doing this for your own benefit, because I love you and I want our family to stay together. Lucius and I have always wanted the best for you-" she went on.

"And your idea of what's best for me is your idea - not mine. I'm sick of all your lies, traditions and prejudices. Just get out," said Draco coldly, letting his anger get the better of him. Narcissa looked rather stricken at hearing those words.

"You'll thank me when you're older," she said quietly, before leaving the room. When Draco was at last left alone he fell back into a chair and took a deep breath, as he thought about what had just happened. He knew why Narcissa didn't want him socializing with a muggle-born, and he understood why she was trying to prevent him from doing so. Obviously it was because of the prejudices, blood-status and social-status beliefs that she and Lucius had, but it was also more than that. If he actually did fall in love with, and marry a mudblood, that would tear his entire family apart. Lucius would turn against Draco and disown him for it. Narcissa would turn against Lucius out of love for her son, and that could possibly lead to divorce. He would lose all of his friends, and Hermione would most likely lose all of her friends too. In a way, choosing Hermione over everything else was just selfish, and too many friendships would be ruined. He pictured Narcissa's stricken expression after what he'd said just moments ago, and felt a tug of guilt. In a way, not contacting Hermione would make it easier on both of them and their families and friends - perhaps it was for the best. At least for now. And besides, he didn't want to make life worse for Lucius, who still had another year of Azkaban to suffer through. He had an entire year of Hogwarts ahead of him in which he could see Hermione anyway, and Slytherin's were known to achieve their goals by any means necessary. He would just have to be patient.

* * *

When Hermione arrived in Australia, she was just outside a dentist facility. Months earlier when herself, Ron and Harry set out to find and destroy all of the horcruxes, they had to leave their previous lives and families behind. For Harry this was easy, since he didn't have any parents or siblings. For Ron it was rather easy as well, since they pretended that the Weasley's family ghoul was actually Ron with Spattergroit - a highly infectious disease - which caused Ministry officials and Death Eaters to think he was seriously ill. For Hermione however, it was a very difficult process. To make sure that her muggle parents were safe and unharmed, she had to modify their memories - causing them to forget that they ever had a daughter, and to think they lived in Australia, as far away from danger as possible. Hence the reason for her to apparate to Australia, as she planned to correct her parents memories. She took a deep breath and walked into the building. After speaking to the receptionist and asking for Dr Wilkins - the fake name she'd given them - she waited anxiously.

"Hello, how can I help you?" asked a pleasant voice a few minutes later, and Hermione turned to face her father. The big difference to the last time she'd seen him, was that he didn't recognize her at all this time - which was an extremely odd thing to experience.

"Um hi, my name is Hermione. Can we talk in private?" asked Hermione, forcing her voice to remain calm.

"Of course, we can talk in my office. Lovely name by the way," her father went on cheerfully, completely oblivious to the fact that he was talking to his daughter. It was an awkward and strange event for Hermione, but in the end it all went fine - just like Draco, Harry and Ron had all promised. She managed to restore her fathers memory first, and then her mothers. The only side effect that occurred was probably enhanced memory, because everything that they'd forgotten was brought back vividly with magic, causing them to remember many old memories. The realization that their daughter had wiped their memories was quite hard to take at first, but after she'd explained to them why she had to do it, they accepted it without hesitation. Even though they were muggles, they still knew everything about the wizarding world - including Voldemort and the war. It made sense for her to hide them to keep them safe. As soon as she'd restored their memories, she sent a letter to Draco telling him how it went - with Pig of course, since Draco's owl was nowhere in sight. She also helped her parents pack and get ready to return home to London. Her parents had been living in another country for a year, so there was heaps to pack - a whole house worth - and Hermione also wanted to travel by plane, something that she hadn't done since she was little. Because of all this the process took a few days and when she was at last back in her muggle home, she was surprised to find a letter from Draco waiting for her.

_'Dear Hermione_

_This is my last letter to you. Narcissa read the last letter you sent, and she's made it very clear that if I continue to contact you I'll be disowned. I've thought about it for ages now - in fact, I've been thinking about this before we even admitted our feelings for each other. Being friends with you would only cause problems, not just for me, but for you as well. I would lose my family and my friends and they're all I have left at the moment. Even though I hate Pothead and Weasel, they're still your best friends and I don't want you to lose them because of me. There are too many issues to consider, and I'm just trying to do the right thing for once. This isn't the end of the world because we'll both be at Hogwarts soon anyway, even if we won't be able to talk._

_Don't reply to this letter._

_Malfoy.'_

* * *

After that final letter, both of their lives seemed to fall into decline. Being in her muggle home gradually became boring and depressing for Hermione, as she re-read the letter she'd received. How could he do this to her? After all they'd been through, after she'd saved his life, helped him, stood up for him, admitted her feelings for him, hugged him, _kissed_ him. After everything that had happened, they go their separate ways and then he leaves her a letter blatantly saying that being friends with her is too hard and that he wasn't going to contact her ever again. Perhaps Slytherin's were just a bunch of cold, heartless cowards. She found herself hating him more and more with every passing day, but having nothing to do about it. Even though he had reasons for sending the letter, and he obviously couldn't abandon his family for her - she still felt betrayed and hurt. The only thing that helped was seeing Harry, Ron and Ginny - they usually met up at Diagon Alley to hang out every couple of days, but even her best friends had noticed that she was upset about something, though they couldn't figure it out.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What did you think of Lucius?

- Do you like the pace and direction of the story? How do you think it could be better?

- How do you think Draco and Hermione will react, next time they see each other?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	30. Chapter 30

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Life for Hermione was more dull than ever, and not even studying could improve it. Being in her muggle home was comforting for the first week, but then her parents returned to work and she was left studying and doing nothing else, practically every day. Thankfully she could apparate though, and this gave her the ability to visit the Burrow within seconds, whenever she wanted to - which was becoming a habit. Even though she wasn't living at the Burrow, she spent most of her time there during the day. And Harry was still living with the Weasley's, since he didn't have to return to the Dursley's anymore now that Voldemort was gone. So Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were still spending plenty of time together, both at the Burrow and in Diagon Alley. This helped Hermione take her mind of off one particular Slytherin, although every time she walked past Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour she couldn't help but be reminded of him. She had decided to simply block out all thoughts to do with him, because she was still angry with him and there was nothing else that she could do about it. Suddenly she realized that she was thinking about Draco again, and sighed in annoyance as she put her textbook down and left her bedroom. From the kitchen there was the familiar sound of an owl hooting, and Hermione made her way towards the owl curiously. Why would Harry or Ron owl her, if they could just apparate here? Or perhaps it was Draco... _'No, it isn't him and it never will be, stop thinking about it!'_, Hermione thought to herself in frustration. When she finally entered the kitchen, she saw the Hogwarts crest was on the envelope which the owl was holding. Her heart skipped a beat from the shock of receiving her Hogwarts letter - which looked identical to the first one she'd gotten seven years ago. Nothing else mattered in that moment, as she quickly made her way over to the owl and took the envelope. The first thing she noticed was the weight and feel - it was heavy, and there were at least two badges inside, and a few sheets of paper. When she opened the envelope and let the contents fall out onto the kitchen table, six objects came out: a Head Girl badge, a red and gold badge with a lion and the words '_Gryffindor_' engraved on it, a list of required books and equipment, her official Hogwarts letter and two other sheets of paper. After inspecting the beautiful Gryffindor badge in curiosity, she quickly began reading her letter.

_'HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

_Dear Miss Granger,_  
_We are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This unique letter has only been sent to your year group, who will be formally referred to as the 'eighth years'. Although you are older than the rest of the students, you are really an addition to the seventh year group, and so you have the same privileges and responsibilities as them. This is because you will be learning the same subjects, completing the same assignments and doing the same N.E.W.T examinations as your seventh year peers. Therefore there have been some changes made to make this year comfortable and fair for everyone. Please read the following information, as it is vital for all eighth years to understand:_

_- You have a separate carriage on the Hogwarts Express, which was added this year to provide more room on the train. It is exclusive to eighth years, prefects, staff and teachers only._

_- You will have a separate dormitory from the rest of the school, and you will be given further instructions about this on the Hogwarts Express._

_- You may be learning the same content as the seventh year group, but you will not share classes with them. The eighth year class is separate and exclusive._

_- You are allowed to visit Hogsmeade any weekend. This is a privilege, and rule-breaking may result in you being banned from Hogsmeade._

_- You are allowed to play Quidditch, despite being older than the other students. This is a privilege, and rule-breaking may result in you being banned from Quidditch._

_You will receive all of the information that you need to know - including details on the Teaching Traineeship Program - on the Hogwarts Express, so please make sure that you get on the right carriage. Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the first of September._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Pomona Sprout_  
_Deputy Headmistress'_

* * *

Hermione was so excited that she could barely even contain it. She was grinning uncontrollably as she looked over and picked up the shiny Head Girl badge - her badge. Ever since her first year she had always dreamed of being Head Girl, and ever since the start of the war she had longed to return to Hogwarts again. And now, at last, she was the Head Girl of Hogwarts. Apparently she was also the Head of Gryffindor house as well, because of the other badge that she'd received. She remembered reading in the Daily Prophet weeks ago that there would be Head of House students, so that must have been what the Gryffindor badge signified. After reading the letter and the list of books and equipment, she then picked up the other two peices of paper and began reading them.

_'Dear Miss Granger,_

_Congratulations on becoming Head Girl! I'm sure that you already know all about this after being at Hogwarts for so long, so there is no need to explain the role in this letter. However, on the Hogwarts Express a teacher will explain to you all of your duties, responsibilities and privileges. You will be able to begin your role as Head Girl the moment everyone arrives at Hogwarts. You will find your Head Girl badge enclosed in this envelope._

_Details on Head of House Students will also be explained on the Hogwarts Express._

_Yours sincerely,  
_

_Minerva McGonagall_  
_Headmistress'_

And the second letter took her completely by surprise.

_'Dear Miss Granger,_

_As you may already know, there will be Teaching Traineeship Programs available to seventh and eighth year Hogwarts students wishing to teach. These programs are designed to give talented young witches and wizards the experience and qualifications required to pursue careers in teaching and education. These programs are not to be taken lightly, however - it will take many months of hard work, exceptional N.E.W.T grades and unwavering commitment. It will take students over a year to receive their full qualifications as professors in their chosen subject. Therefore it is vitally important to think long and hard before accepting this course._

_There are three subjects available for student trainee positions: Transfiguration, Potions and Herbology. The Hogwarts Board of Governors and professors have selected three of Hogwarts' most talented students for a trainee position in each subject, and you are one of them. Please remember that this is only an offer, and we understand if you decline. However, we urge you to consider this great opportunity._

_You have been offered the Transfiguration Traineeship position. Your mentor would be Professor McGonagall, the current Transfiguration professor._

_Please send your reply to the Hogwarts Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, either accepting or declining the position. You will meet the other trainees and receive more information on the Hogwarts Express, if you accept._

_Yours sincerely,_  
_Hogwarts Board of Governers'_

* * *

After reading all of the letters again and inspecting her badges for a few more moments, Hermione quickly put them all back into the envelope and prepared to apparate to the Burrow. The Hogwarts owl entered the kitchen and made itself at home, as it was clearly trained to not leave until it was given a reply - so hopefully it would still be there when she returned. When she was ready, she left the house and turned on the spot, feeling the familiar and odd sensation of apparition. Moments later she landed on the hillside near the Burrow, and was scorched by the midday sun. It was always sunnier at the Burrow than her muggle home, which was probably another thing that helped improve her mood. As she made her way towards the slanted house, she began thinking long and hard about the traineeship offer. Although it was a big decision, she had always wanted to be a teacher - she had already decided years ago. And Transfiguration was her favourite subject, after all. And Professor McGonagall was also her favourite teacher. And it was the perfect opportunity. And she loved everything about Hogwarts. What more could she ask for?

"Hermione! Have you got your letter?" called a voice in excitement, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh hey Ginny, and yeah that's why I came over. You guys have to see this," said Hermione hurriedly as she went inside and found Harry and Ron at the kitchen table, reading their own letters.

"Look at your envelope, how many badges did they give you? A hundred?" scoffed Ron when he saw her.

"Two, actually," said Hermione in satisfaction.

"No way, you're Head Girl _and_ Head of Gryffindor?" asked Ginny incredulously, as Hermione showed them her badges.

"Good work Hermione! We always knew you would be Head Girl," said Harry, but he seemed more interested in the Gryffindor badge because he picked it up and looked closely at the small lion and engraved words in awe.

"Hermione you can give detentions to anyone you want now, _anyone!_ This is brilliant, we can finally get back at Crabbe and-"

"No Ron, I'm going to be responsible," Hermione disagreed, although she couldn't help but smile a bit. Every Slytherin would think twice before calling her a mudblood ever again, and now she would be able to stop insults and bullying in the corridors. And that definitely felt good.

"Don't you want to get back at them? Think about how much of a git Malfoy's been!" said Ron, oblivious to the fact that she had actually kissed Draco only weeks previously.

"If they do anything wrong, I'll give them detentions. If they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. And Malfoy didn't want to do all of the things he did, he had no choice - how many times do I have to tell you Ron?" said Hermione in exasperation.

"He still did them, though. And he bullied you when we were little, that was all his choice-"

"I'm not going to argue, what's done is done, you just need to let go of the past-"

"But I'm right-"

"No, you're really not!" Hermione snapped, making her frustration very clear. There was silence after that as Harry and Ginny looked back and forth between them in surprise.

"Fine. We'll see who's right at Hogwarts, won't we? After all, we're sharing dormitories with them. I bet you anything they'll be the same nasty gits that they've always been," said Ron firmly, sounding absolutely certain that he was right.

"If they're nasty then I'll give them detentions. Happy?"

"Yep-"

"Good. But forget about Slytherin's - look at this, and let me know what you think," said Hermione nervously, as she pulled out her Teaching Traineeship offer and showed it to them. As the other three read the letter, Hermione took a deep breath and thought about the little argument that had just taken place. It was considered little because she had been arguing with Ron ever since their first year - over a million things. They argued even more when Malfoy was around because she'd befriended him, and even after the war they're still arguing over the same issues. Ron had always been protective of her, and it was obvious that he liked her - but his hate for Slytherin's, and her recent... friendship with a Slytherin, just complicated things between them. And when she asked Harry why Ron hated Slytherin's so much, this was his reply: _'Ron probably hates Slytherin's because they bullied you, Hermione. I hate them too - you know I can still remember you crying the first time Malfoy called you a mudblood? Me and Ron don't forget that kind of stuff, we'll never forget it. Ron's your best friend, he likes you, and he wants to stick up for you and get back at them. It's normal.'_

This explanation definitely helped her understand things better, and she was once again very thankful to have Harry as a close friend. She never knew that Ron could be so complicated - from her perspective, Ron was very simple and sometimes even stupid, and she'd even said to him, _'you have the emotional range of a teaspoon'_. And now she felt rather bad for saying all of those things because Ron really was an amazing friend, even if he did have frustrating ways of showing it. She knew that she would have to keep him in line when they got to Hogwarts, because he was right - they were sharing a dormitory with the other houses. They hadn't been told what the dormitory looked like, but she guessed that they would be in close proximity with Slytherin's, all hours of the day. And to be honest, she couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Wow, are you - are you going to do it?" asked Ron in surprise when he'd finished reading. A moment later the other two finished and looked up at Hermione, who bit her lip nervously.

"I don't know. Well, this is everything I want - I've always wanted to teach and I love being at Hogwarts. So I want to do it, but it's a big decision. I'll talk to my parents tonight before sending a reply," said Hermione uncertainly.

"We're going to be famous Quidditch players-"

"Or Aurors-"

"Or both," said Harry and Ron, in a very similar fashion to how Fred and George used to finish each other's sentences.

"Well, you'll have to get good marks in Potions and Charms, and I won't be helping you with essays this year," said Hermione firmly.

"Who cares about grades? We're famous war heroes!" said Ron, causing the other three to roll their eyes tiredly. He'd been going on and on about being famous ever since a photo of the three of them appeared in the Daily Prophet. While they were being celebrated as war heroes, nobody knew about the horcruxes yet - that was still being kept a secret, and the only people alive who knew about the horcruxes were Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco. And they'd agreed to never tell anyone about it. Although Ron had made it very clear that they couldn't trust Malfoy, and that they should kill him before he told any Death Eaters how to make horcruxes - which started yet another heated argument.

* * *

_'Dear Mister Malfoy,_

_You have been offered the the Potions Traineeship position. Your mentor would be Professor Snape, the current Potions Master.'_

He re-read the words again and again, shock etched into his expression. He was sitting at the kitchen table, and standing behind him were Narcissa and Snape. They'd already read all of his letters and discussed everything, and they'd left it up to Draco to decide. Narcissa didn't approve of him becoming a teacher - she wanted her son to become a powerful and wealthy man like his father had been, and like all Malfoy's should be. Pureblood and upper-class, rich and powerful, arrogant and proud. That was honestly how Draco saw his family, and he knew that his mother wanted him to be more like Lucius - because Lucius was all of those things. And being rich and powerful obviously made life easier. Therefore, Malfoy's simply didn't become professors. They became politicians, Governors, important Ministry officials or very intelligent criminals.

Snape on the other hand, approved. He had been visiting Malfoy Manor a few times over the summer holidays like he'd promised, and so far Draco was enjoying the Potion Masters company. Snape had always favoured Draco in class, given him the best of everything, and helped him in Potions more than anyone else. Likewise, Draco's favourite teacher was Snape and his favourite subject was Potions, and it was the subject that he performed best in. Although nobody actually realizes it, he'd almost killed Ron Weasley with his very own poisoned mead, which he was meant to give Dumbledore - and that could be another reason for Ron secretly hating Draco. But anyway, one of the reasons Snape wanted Draco to become a professor - at least for the next two years - was because of the escaped Death Eaters who were still dangerous. Like Lucius said, the Death Eaters would most likely attempt an Azkaban breakout, and they'd be recruiting as many people as possible. Anyone who betrayed the Death Eaters or didn't join them, would most likely be killed.

"For example, you and myself," Snape explained. Narcissa's eyes widened at hearing this.

"Y-you can't be serious? He's only seventeen, he's going to school! They wouldn't hurt him-"

"He made it possible to break into Hogwarts, something that even Dumbledore thought was impossible. Even when he was sixteen, he was a capable and intelligent Death Eater. They will either recruit him, or kill him for leaving them. They will try and kill me for betraying the Dark Lord," said Snape firmly, although he emphasised _'try'_ in amusement. While Snape clearly thought of himself as a wise Slytherin and an exceptional duellest, Draco wasn't so confident. If Death Eaters wanted to kill him, they would probably succeed.

"There are Death Eaters on the run who may want to kill us, father said to stay at Hogwarts and at home, Snape says to stay at Hogwarts - it makes sense," said Draco, when he looked up from the letter at last.

"But is it what you want? To be stuck in that castle for the rest of your life?" asked Narcissa, making quite a good point.

"It won't be for the rest of my life, I can quit whenever I want-" Draco began in amusement.

"But is it what you want?" asked Narcissa again.

"I don't know. But I guess I'll find out, won't I?" said Draco, as he reluctantly decided to accept the position. There were a number of reasons for him to accept it, the most obvious reason being that he would be safe at Hogwarts from any escaped Death Eaters. He was also taking Lucius' advice - he was being strong and smart, and he wasn't following in his fathers footsteps. He was making his own decision for once. But above all else, the biggest reason was a surprise even to himself. He knew that Hermione Granger would become a teacher at Hogwarts. She'd never actually told him that she wanted to be a teacher, but he could easily imagine her teaching little first year kids how to cast _'Wingardium Leviosa'_, as strange as that sounds. Why was this important? Well, if he became a Potions professor and he got disowned for doing anything that his parents didn't like - admitting his feelings for a mudblood, perhaps - at least he'd have somewhere to live, and a job to survive on. So while it was to ensure his safety, it was also a backup plan.

He couldn't believe that he was secretly plotting such things. He couldn't believe that he was deciding to become a Hogwarts Potions Master - which felt like signing his own death warrant. Since he was a former Death Eater, other students and teachers alike would despise him no matter what. He looked down at the letter and picked up the badge beside it - a powerful looking silver and green badge, with a serpent hissing and the word _'Slytherin'_ engraved on it. He was the Head of Slytherin house though, and he was also still a prefect - so at least he had some things to look forward to at Hogwarts.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- If I began uploading a second story, would you read and review it?

- Do you like Pansy Parkinson? xD

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	31. Chapter 31

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 31**

Diagon Alley was packed, and that was an understatement. Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione were hurrying through the crowded streets as they began buying everything they'd need for the school year at Hogwarts. In the past this was a stressful and difficult time for the Weasley's due to their lack of money, but this year it was easy. Since Kingsley was the Minister for Magic, Mr Weasley had been promoted weeks ago to a much better job and their family had received a bonus - as did many other families who had lost loved ones in the recent weeks leading up to Voldemort's death. With the extra money and better pay, they were finally able to buy everything that they needed. Harry also bought himself a new owl, but this one was as black as night - the opposite of his old snowy owl. Throughout the day they went from shop to shop buying new robes, quills, ink bottles, books, parchment, potion ingredients, cauldrons and many other magical objects that were on their list. Ron was also dying to enter Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes and buy a nice pile of prank objects, but Hermione refused to let him.

"I'm Head Girl now Ron, it's my responsibility to stop people from using prank objects-" Hermione was arguing as the four of them walked down the main street, while Mr and Mrs Weasley were getting something to eat.

"But we're eighth years, we can do whatever we want!" groaned Ron stubbornly.

"You have the same privileges as seventh years, didn't you read the letter?" asked Hermione in annoyance.

"What about back when we were little, you always helped us break the rules," Ron continued.

"I only helped you break the rules so that we could save a hippogriff, or make Polyjuice Potion-"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Ron.

"But we were doing the right thing at the time. Buying Ton-Tongue Toffees and Whiz-Bangs aren't going to help anyone," said Hermione firmly, as they stopped outside a broomstick shop. All thought of arguing with his best friend about prank objects vanished as Ron followed Harry into the shop and began looking at the newest and fastest racing brooms. Hermione rolled her eyes and stayed outside with Ginny, as they talked about the new Hogwarts teachers who would surely be on the Hogwarts Express. There was also a chance that Snape may not be teaching in the future, since there was going to be a Potions Trainee... and the same was for Transfiguration and Herbology. And also Defence Against the Dark Arts, as everyone knew about the so called '_curse_' that was on the job. As they talked about new teachers, Hermione found herself getting more and more excited with the idea of becoming a teacher - in a year, new students will be calling her the Transfiguration Professor. It was a strange thing to imagine.

"I hope that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is actually good this year, though. Another Umbridge would be horr-" Hermione suddenly stopped mid-sentence as she stared across the street. She'd glimpsed a flash of short blonde hair, and surely enough a second or two later she saw Draco Malfoy walking along the other side of the narrow street. By his facial expression, he seemed rather frustrated about something too.

"Hermione? What are you looking at?" asked Ginny curiously, as she followed her friends line of sight.

"Oh - nothing, I just thought I saw something," said Hermione hurriedly.

"Well, enough of teachers. Who do you think the Head Boy will be?" asked Ginny in excitement. That was an excellent question, and one that Hermione had been pondering over ever since she'd gotten her Head Girl badge. It was most likely going to be someone from Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw though, because she couldn't imagine a Slytherin being chosen after what had happened in the past couple of years.

* * *

Bloody brilliant. So far he'd been to the Apothecary where they sell potion ingredients, and the cauldron shop, and Flourish and Blotts to get his school books - and every shop had refused to sell him anything, since he used to be a Death Eater. Narcissa was currently at Gringotts taking out some money so that she could go shopping for new furniture for the Manor, so he had to get all of his Hogwarts stuff by himself. He'd gone to the potion incredients and cauldron shops first because he needed extra, being the Potions trainee. The fact that he couldn't buy anything at all was frustrating, and he silently fumed as he made his way towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, to buy his new school robes. As he entered the shop, thinking about how he would manage to get his other stuff - he saw his saviour.

"Draco!" squealed the girls voice in excitement. She was currently standing in the middle of the shop, and Madam Malkin was measuring her waist and fitting her new robes.

"Pansy," replied Draco in surprise, with a slight smile. Despite the fact that Pansy Parkinson could get extremely annoying and clingy, she was still his old girlfriend. And she was a Slytherin, and all Slytherin's looked out for each other. He'd been owling Pansy and a few other Slytherin's for about a week, and they'd all set a date to get their stuff at Diagon Alley. She totally forgot about the shop owner measuring her waist and gave Draco an unexpected hug.

"Calm down, I've been owling you for a week now-" said Draco as he hugged her back awkwardly.

"Yeah but I haven't seen you in like a year! And you became a Death Eater, and probably saw heaps of gross stuff, and your family betrayed You-Know-Who, and you had to go to a Ministry trial, I know all about it because it's been in the Daily Prophet, like every day-"

"Okay Pansy I know what's happened to me, you don't have to repeat it all," snapped Draco, causing the brunette Slytherin girl to flinch slightly.

"I'm just trying to help," she said with a hurt expression. He was used to her hurt expressions and fake crying - most of the time it was just acting to have her way. One thing was for sure, Slytherin's were excellent actors - and it was even more true with girls.

"I know, but I don't want to talk about all of that," said Draco firmly.

"Was it really bad? Want to talk about it?"

"Yes it was bad - no, I just said I didn't-"

"But we always talked about bad stuff-"

"Do you two want your school robes or not?" asked Madam Malkin in bewilderment.

"Yes," said Draco quickly, feeling slightly relieved that at least Madam Malkin wouldn't reject him for being a former Death Eater. He stood back as Pansy continued to be measured and fitted with her school robes, but that didn't stop her from continuing the conversation.

"So, what was it like? Being a You-Know-What-?"

"I'm not talking about it here, Pansy-"

"Why not? You're not one anymore, so you can tell me about it-"

"It's none of your business, that's why-"

"None of my business? I'm your girlfriend!"

"That was a year ago-"

"So what, you don't like me anymore?"

"Of course I like you, but I've agreed to be the Potions trainee and I need good N.E.W.T marks, I'll be busy-"

"Ooh really? So you're going to be all smart and intelligent this year?" asked Pansy with a giggle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Draco in annoyance.

"In your sixth year you didn't care about school at all. You never studied with me, you were always avoiding everyone - I swear you were up to something-"

"Look, Pansy, I really don't want to talk about the last two years of my life, at all. A lot of shit happened and none of it was good, so.." Draco trailed off uncomfortably, hoping that she would get the hint.

"Oh," said Pansy softly as she noticed his expression - she'd never seen him look so serious and upset about something. After a short pause she continued, "Sorry Draco, you're right - I'm just curious, and I only want to help-"

"It's fine, how are you? What was Hogwarts like being a seventh year?" asked Draco quickly, changing the subject to her. She got the hint and began talking about Hogwarts with Snape as Headmaster and the Carrow's as teachers, and how they learned the Dark Arts and she could practically do whatever she wanted. She didn't care that Madam Malkin was right there beside them, and continued talking about how good it was to be able to give Gryffindor's detentions for no reason. That was one of the things with Pansy - she said whatever she wanted and she didn't care who heard it. She was loud, sometimes bitchy and she always spoke her mind. This was a good thing if you were her friend - she was always honest and reliable. If she liked you, she wouldn't be shy about it - she would walk right up to you and say, _'I like you'_ - which was what happened during their third year. If you needed help studying, she would help no matter what. But if you weren't her friend, well.. that's where the loud, bitchy and mean side comes in.

"Finally, come on lets go - I'm buying a new owl, my first one - Sprinkles - died over the summer, can you believe it? I swear I cried for weeks," Pansy was saying as they left the shop twenty minutes later, with all of their new school robes.

"I can't get the rest of my stuff. Some of the shop owners don't want to sell anything to former Death Eaters," said Draco awkwardly. Pansy stopped walking and turned to face him in surprise.

"Oh - do you want me to buy them for you?" she asked quickly.

"You don't have to-"

"Of course I do Draco, we're best friends - and we look out for each other," said Pansy firmly.

"Thanks, Pansy. Really, it means a lot," said Draco, causing her to smile at him in pleasant surprise. There was a brief moment of understanding as they made eye contact, but it was over when they began walking again. He couldn't help but feel a little content at that moment, being with this particular Slytherin girl. She was his best friend. They'd been best friends since their first year, and in a relationship since their third year. He was even closer to Pansy than Harry and Ron were close to Hermione, if that made sense. And sure, he was ridiculously infatuated with Hermione Granger - but he was still close to Pansy, and that wouldn't change. The only problem was his secrets. The other Slytherin students had no idea that he was a Death Eater during his sixth year, or what he'd done. They didn't know what it was like being a Death Eater, either - they probably still thought that it was something to be proud of. And most importantly - they didn't know that he had spent four weeks with the Order of the Phoenix, and they didn't know how intimate he was with a Gryffindor mudblood.

* * *

After getting everything that they needed from Diagon Alley, time went incredibly fast. The days passed and before they knew it, it was the first of September and they were on their way to platform nine and three quarters for the last time ever. It was the last time for Hermione, Harry and Ron - and it was also the last time for Ginny, since she was in her seventh year. And it was every other eighth year and seventh year student's last year as well. So it was a pretty big deal, and even though Hermione was probably going to return to Hogwarts as a teacher afterwards - she would never run through the magical wall with her trolley, and she would never board the Hogwarts Express as a student again. She promised herself that she wouldn't forget all of these fond memories, as they pushed their trolley's amongst all of the Hogwarts students - towards the massive, long red train ahead of them.

"Come on, our carriage is at the back," said Harry, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.

"See you three at the feast," said Ginny with a grin, as she pushed her trolley over to a group of seventh years. Harry, Ron and Hermione moved through the sea of students to the back of the train, looking around for the _'eighth year'_ carriage that had been added.

"Eighth years this way!" called the unforgettable voice of Filch, the caretaker. He looked incredibly out of place standing beside the Hogwarts Express without his infamous cat, and many of the younger students were laughing as they walked passed him. All of the eighth year students followed him down the platform to the very end of the train, where a brand new carriage had been added. Looking around, Hermione could see familiar faces from every house in her grade - Gryffindor's, Hufflepuff's, Ravenclaw's and Slytherin's. The same students from her first year, all returned for their eighth and final one. At the same time, she was looking around to find out who the Head Boy was, but she couldn't see the Head Boy badge anywhere.

"The seats at the back are for professors only - no pushing!" Filch was saying in a scowling manner, as the students got onto the train. Harry, Ron and Hermione were some of the first people to walk into the new carriage and they noticed that it was similar to the their sixth year carriage. The compartments didn't have doors and only had room for four people, and the corridor was much wider. There was much more room, and they guessed that this was so that Professor McGonagall could speak to them separately before they all arrived at Hogwarts. As they looked for seats, they saw Neville sitting by himself and quickly joined him to fill up their four seated compartment.

"Hey, long time no see!" said Neville with a grin, bringing up an instant conversation. As the three boys talked about their summers, however, Hermione found herself looking at every person entering the carriage. After a few people had walked in, she saw the Head Boy - Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff. He was wearing the shiny Head Boy badge, and also a black and yellow badge with a badger, and _'Hufflepuff'_ engraved on it. Ernie, like herself, had been made Head of his house and also Head Boy. He nodded as he walked past her, and she nodded back with a smile. She'd never known him very well, but he was a prefect and he'd always been responsible and smart. At least a Slytherin like Blaise Zabini wasn't chosen, she thought in relief. Then she saw Draco enter, wearing the silver and green badge with a fearsome snake, and _'Slytherin'_ engraved on it. Behind him came Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise, and then every other Slytherin as well. His popularity hadn't changed, Hermione thought herself as he walked past. They made eye contact for a split second, and she could tell that he wanted to talk to her - but then he ignored her completely and kept walking. In his Slytherin clothing, with his Slytherin gang and his arrogant expression, he looked as though he'd never changed and never spent four weeks with her. '_God, he's good at acting_,' Hermione thought to herself in admiration.

"See his badge? I can't believe Professor McGonagall made that git Head of Slytherin," said Ron coldly, as he turned around in his seat to glare at Draco from across the corridor. Draco glared back with equal dislike, before turning to talk to Pansy.

"Stop glaring, Ron. Lets just start this year in peace," said Hermione in annoyance.

"I doubt there's going to be any peace with him around, Hermione. Slytherin's are always like that," said Neville with a shrug.

"You don't know until you try," Hermione replied, as she continued looking at all the students entering. She didn't want to argue with Neville though, since Neville had no idea what had happened between Draco and them. Ron _did_ know what had happened though, and Ron knew that Draco had helped them. And yet he was still acting like Draco was the bad guy, which Hermione was finding more and more frustrating. The last few students entered the train, including Parvati Patil and her twin Padma, who was wearing a blue and bronze badge, with a beautiful eagle and _'Ravenclaw'_ engraved on it. When everyone had finally got in and sat down, the train began moving.

* * *

"Everyone come a little closer!" called Professor McGonagall, twenty minutes later. All the eighth year students were crowded around in the compartments and the corridor, to have the year group meeting. Harry, Ron and Seamus Finnigan were talking about the Gryffindor Quidditch team and how they were going to win this year; while Hermione, Neville, Parvati and Padma had moved closer to Professor McGonagall.

"Good. Now, I've gotten you all here on the train so that I can tell you where your dormitory is - and no, it is not near the Great Hall or the Gryffindor towers, Mister Finnigan - and also other important information that you need to know, before we get to Hogwarts," began Professor McGonagall. A few people groaned when they heard that the dormitory wouldn't be near the Great Hall or the towers.

"Aren't you meant to be at Hogwarts right now, professor?" someone asked curiously.

"Professor Sprout, Snape and Flitwick, and others are taking care of the feast instead," answered the Headmistress. After answering a few more questions, she began talking formerly again.

"First of all, you are the only students allowed to visit Hogsmeade at any weekend - however, this is a _privilege_!" said Professor McGonagall sternly, as everyone cheered, "and I can easily take away that privilege if you break any rules. Also, you are allowed to play Quidditch this year despite your age differences. However, any rule-breaking - and that includes foul play on the Quidditch pitch - and you _will_ be banned. I'm looking particularly at all of you - Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini. Play fairly this year or don't play at all."

There were a few laughs from around the carriage, as they knew that this year would be no different from any other. The competition between Gryffindor and Slytherin was always taken seriously, perhaps even more so this year because of their age and experience - and the fact that it was their last chance to win the Quidditch Cup. While some of the non-Quidditch players laughed at the names that were called, Harry, Ron, Draco and Blaise Zabini were not laughing at all. Their expressions were cold as they scowled at each other, and both sides were determined to win the Cup in their final year at Hogwarts.

"There are four new classrooms, and all of the older bathrooms have been improved - that includes the girls bathroom on the second floor. Your classes will be separate from the seventh years, but you will sit exams at the same time to prevent cheating," said Professor McGonagall, causing a few Slytherin's to groan audibly. If seventh and eighth years did the same exams, and seventh years did it first - it would be easy for them to tell their eighth year friends what the questions were. Hermione was surprised that the Slytherin's had already thought of this, and she noticed Crabbe and Goyle looked particularly devastated. They may not be academically smart, but they weren't completely dumb, she realized in amusement.

"Now, your dormitory is located in the dungeons - this is because there is plenty of room in the dungeons, and it was the only place we could fit another full sized dormitory," began Professor McGonagall. She ignored the shouts of outrage that was coming from the Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's - both houses were used to having their dormitories up in towers with a lovely view, and had always thought that the Slytherin dormitory would be depressing and cold. And now they were about to experience a year of something rather similar to Slytherin. The Hufflepuff's didn't seem to care as long as they were together, and for some strange reason, the Slytherin's were very disappointed.

"There's no way I'm sleeping in the dungeons!" shouted Ron.

"Us Slytherin's have been down there for seven years, and to be honest I was looking forward to sleeping somewhere warmer and more comfortable, this is so _UNFAIR_!" screamed Pansy even louder than Ron, surprising everyone around her.

"I thought you liked your common room?" asked Parvati in surprise.

"No, we don't like sleeping under a lake, you idiot," said Pansy as insultingly as possible.

"You belong under a lake, Parkinson," said Ron, getting a few snickers from around the room.

"Shut up Weasley," snapped Draco defensively. The fast replies and insults were suddenly coming out of nowhere from everyone, as though the year group had been waiting all summer to get back at each other. And then Hermione realized - everyone had been waiting all summer to get back at each other. Last year Snape was Headmaster, the Carrow's were teachers and the Slytherin's were in control. The rest of the school suffered unfairly, was treated the worst, and some students even had the Cruciatus curse used on them by Carrow's and Slytherin's alike. The detentions were outright torture, apparently. And now, months later, everyone was back again in an equal environment and the tension was incredibly high. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco had no idea what had happened the year before, since they weren't there. Their school mates hadn't forgotten anything, though.

"You Slytherin's deserve to stay in the dungeons after what happened last year!" said Neville angrily.

"The Carrow's were the ones in charge Longbottom, not us - I don't see why you're complaining," said Blaise Zabini, getting rather angry himself.

"And you supported them - in the Dark Arts classes you used the Cruciatus curse on Gryffindor's-" called Seamus.

"Me and Blaise didn't use Crucio on anyone, stop assuming that we're some sort of evil gits-" said Theodore Nott, who was usually quiet but everyone knew he was pretty smart.

"You are evil even if you didn't use Crucio on us, because you just stood back and watched while the Carrow's did it," said Parvati.

"What did you expect us to do, fight against Death Eaters? That's suicide, sorry we aren't as brave as you Gryffindor's," said Theodore with heavy sarcasm and contempt, as he glared at Parvati.

"All Slytherin's are the same in my opinion, just like all muggle-borns are the same in yours-" said Ron, getting nods of agreement from almost everyone else in the carriage. Pansy and Blaise looked ready to shout arguments back at him, but everyone was immediately silenced by Professor McGonagall.

"That is _enough_! All of you be quiet! I have never seen a year group filled with such stereotypes and hate. I understand that there has always been a traditional rivalry between all of your houses, but this is going too far. I understand that the events of last year may still be affecting some of you, but Alecto and Amycus Carrow are long gone and we need to move on," said Professor McGonagall, effectively silencing everyone in the carriage. After a few moments, she continued.

"This entire year group _will_ be sharing a dormitory, and it _will_ be in the dungeons. You will have a large common room, and four separate House rooms. Each House room will have a boys sleeping chamber and a girls sleeping chamber, and a bathroom. It will be decorated appropriately - if you're in Gryffindor, your House room will be red and gold, Slytherin's House room is silver and green, and so on. The common room is for all of you, and therefore it is coloured gold and bronze, with two fireplaces - it is welcoming, bright and warm enough, I assure you," said Professor McGonagall firmly. This didn't change anyones mind on anything, though. Almost every student was unhappy about something at that point, whether it be their dormitory being in the dungeons, their hatred for Slytherin and what had happened the previous year, the heated argument that had just taken place, or the realization that they would have to live with Slytherin's for the next year. Or from the Slytherin's perspective - everyone else hated them just for being Slytherin, they were being forced to live in the dungeons for the eighth year in a row, and they just realized they'd be living with and outnumbered by people who hate them. It was just unpleasant for everyone, and it was only the beginning.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What did you think of Pansy? What kind of character do you think she'll turn out to be?

- Do you think it's understandable for other students to be angry at Slytherins after what had happened the year before? (If you don't know or forgot, the Carrow's were professors, and they taught students the Dark Arts and let Slytherins use Crucio on other students. Plus they tortured students in detention. It wasn't good.).

- What do you think of the hostility between the houses so far, and do you expect it to get worse?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	32. Chapter 32

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 32**

Tensions were running high as Professor McGonagall continued talking about their dormitory, the subjects they could choose that year, their N.E.W.T's, Hogsmeade, Quidditch and a whole range of other things. When she was at last finished, everyone returned to their seats complaining and talking about how they would survive the following year in a combined eighth year dungeon dormitory. Before Hermione could sit down however, Professor McGonagall called over the Head Boy and Girl, all Heads of Houses and the Teaching trainees. A few students stood up from every house and made their way to the back of the train carriage where the professors were. To Hermione's surprise, Neville had followed her.

"Neville, are you-?" she began curiously.

"I'm teaching Herbology," he answered proudly.

"Why didn't you say so? I'm doing Transfiguration!" said Hermione in excitement, but then she remembered that she hadn't mentioned it either. She looked around for whoever the Potions trainee could be, but then realized that perhaps nobody had accepted the position.

"Okay, is everyone here? Miss Granger is Gryffindor, Macmillan is Hufflepuff, Patil is Ravenclaw and Malfoy is Slytherin. As you four know, there has traditionally been Head of House professors - but this year the staff will be busy with other things, so you will be helping out. After the Start of Term feast you will lead your first years to their dormitory, and explain to your house that you are the Head of House. This means whenever students have problems, need help, are being bullied - they go to you, and you handle the problem-"

"What if we need to give some kid a detention," asked Draco quickly. The other three rolled their eyes at him.

"Then you go to Professor Snape - he is still the Head of Slytherin. You can't give detentions, only professors can-"

"What if it's a student from another house causing problems?" asked Ernie, looking pointedly at Draco, who glared back at him.

"You handle minor problems within your own houses. You ask professors for help with big problems with other houses. I'm warning you now, however - if I hear any reports of inter-house bullying or violence, the people responsible will be severely punished," said Professor McGonagall in that strict voice which told them that she was being deadly serious.

"I've been teaching at Hogwarts for over twenty years, and the past seven years have been the worst in terms of bullying, injuries and deaths, by far. Starting from this year, things are going to change, understood?" asked Professor McGonagall. The four students nodded, Hermione looking the most eager and Draco looking the least interested.

"Good. The Head Boy and Girl are in charge of the prefects - you organize rosters for people to patrol the corridors at night and do other duties, you are the only students with the ability to hand out detentions, and you help us professors with any other jobs we give you," explained Professor McGonagall very briefly, as she assumed Hermione and Ernie already knew what to do. They were the brightest students in the school, and both of them had wanted to be Heads since their first year, after all.

"Remember to have a prefect meeting after the feast tonight and begin organizing, I'll leave it up to you two. Now, I'd like a few words with the Teaching trainees," finished Professor McGonagall. As all of the other students got up and returned to their friends on the other side of the carriage, Hermione and Draco stared at each other in surprise. Neville remained seated as well, and he looked at the two of them curiously.

"Now, you three will be working very closely with the current professors and each other. You won't be teaching right away, instead you will be doing lots of assistant work, extra study and exams throughout the year. By the end of this year, you will be teaching first, second and third year classes in your chosen subject. To be allowed to teach, you have to achieve exceptional results in a Ministry exam-"

"You didn't put all this in the letter, what a surprise," Draco cut in sarcastically.

"The letter said we'd get more information on the train, don't be so rude," said Hermione in annoyance. She made eye contact with him again, and he seemed rather amused.

"If this is all too much for you to handle, mister Malfoy, you can quit at any time," said Professor McGonagall, looking at him seriously.

"Whatever-"

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"No, I'm not a quitter," snapped Draco in annoyance, sounding remarkably like Hermione whenever she was annoyed.

"Good. You will have an in-depth exam including first, second and third year content from your chosen subject - if you get good enough results, you will be allowed to teach first, second and third year subjects. For the first few weeks you will be supervised by a professor until you're ready. I will be Transfiguration's mentor and supervisor, Professor Sprout will be Herbology's mentor and supervisor, and Professor Snape will be the Potions mentor and supervisor. You will begin the program next monday, with your professor. Any questions?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"When we're teaching the first, second and third years, do we have to give out homework and assignments?" asked Draco.

"Mister Malfoy, _you_ will be teaching them, no one else. You will teach them, give them homework, mark their homework, help them with their homework, give them assignments, mark their assignments, help them study for exams-"

"Shit..." he groaned.

"In Herbology, will I do practical lessons in the Greenhouses?" asked Neville in excitement.

"Of course."

"What if some first year spills potion on himself and screws up, can I give him a detention?" asked Draco next. Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"You are responsible for any accidents in your class. If a young student spills potion, you will clean it up and take him to the hospital wing. Yes, you can give detentions but only for valid reasons. I hope these questions are serious, Malfoy," said Professor McGonagall strictly.

"How many lessons a week do we teach?" asked Hermione this time.

"Remember that you won't be teaching your own lessons until later on in the year, after your major exams. You will only be required to teach two lessons per week, as teaching experience which is necessary to complete the program. You will have free periods, however - and you can teach during any free period, if your subject professor lets you. Your N.E.W.T's are more important than teaching experience though, so I advise that you only teach two lessons a week and spend the rest of your time studying," said Professor McGonagall.

"And when we've completed our N.E.W.T exams, we can teach as much as we want until the end of the year?" asked Hermione in excitement.

"Yes."

"Brilliant, can't wait," drawled Draco sarcastically. Hermione shot him an angry look, and he smirked back in amusement. She could tell that he was interrupting constantly to get her attention, and it was definitely working. The questions continued for quite some time - Hermione was asking relevant questions to do with their responsibility and N.E.W.T's, Neville was asking relevant questions to do with Herbology plants and lessons, and Draco was asking irrelevant questions to do with random Potions situations and what he could give students detentions for. It was overall an informative and amusing discussion, and even Hermione found herself reluctantly smiling at the stupid things he could come up with.

"Are we replacing you?" came Draco's one and only serious question, surprising them slightly.

"Yes, however we're all staying at Hogwarts. I am retiring from my teaching position to continue as Headmistress, just like Dumbledore did. Professor Sprout is retiring so that she can be Deputy Headmistress and handle other jobs. And when Malfoy becomes the Potions Master next year, Professor Snape will become the permanent Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," explained Professor McGonagall.

"Then, who is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year?" asked Hermione, feeling rather annoyed that she hadn't asked this earlier.

"I can't tell you, but I'm sure you'll all recognize him at the feast in a few hours," said Professor McGonagall with a smile.

* * *

The rest of the train ride was quite pleasant, despite the fact that everyone was still upset about where they would be sleeping for the next year. Pansy Parkinson had continued to whine and complain very loudly about it, which only seemed to annoy everyone else even more. Most of the Gryffindor's were crowded together as they explained to Harry, Ron and Hermione what it was like being at Hogwarts with the Carrow's. They already knew the idea, since Ginny had told them all about it over the summer - but hearing it from their friends made it even more shocking. Neville had apparently been somewhat of a leader for students who were resisting the Carrow's, and many students had stayed in the Room of Requirements for weeks before Hogwarts was closed early. While the others discussed this with a few Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's, Hermione sensed that someone was watching her. When she turned around in her seat she made eye contact with Draco. As she looked at him he looked away, and glanced back again. Then Pansy followed his line of sight towards her, and she turned back to the Gryffindor's. It all happened in a few seconds, but she had a feeling that the subtle glances weren't going to stop anytime soon.

"When you think about it, they've been nothing but gits to us for years now-" Ron said, referring to the Slytherin's.

"You got that right," agreed Seamus.

"I wish we were sleeping somewhere better-"

"What do you think Hermione?" asked Neville, as though the smartest girl he knew would have the answers to all their problems.

"Well, we're sleeping in the dungeons with the Slytherin's and each other - nothing can change that. I think that we should just stop worrying about it-" said Hermione uncertainly, as she didn't know what kind of reaction that would bring out from the rest of them.

"Stop worrying about it? When you study you complain that it's too noisy in the Gryffindor common room with your friends, Hermione - imagine a four-Housed common room with shouting and fights and bitchy Slytherin girls and depressing cold stone walls-" began Parvati, causing Hermione to cringe slightly as she realized what her friends were talking about.

"Okay, I get what you mean - but still, why worry about something we can't change?" asked Hermione with a shrug. This was a philosophy Hermione had been living by ever since she was called a mudblood back in her second year. Why worry about her blood status when she couldn't change it? It wasn't her fault and there was nothing she could do about it, anyway. She knew that this would become one of Draco's philosophy's too, because he was now labelled as a Death Eater to every witch and wizard in the world. Just like how she'd been bullied and insulted for years, now it was his turn.

"We can change it, though. We'll just say that no Slytherin's are allowed in the common room," said Ron firmly.

"Don't be ridiculous Ron, Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow it-" said Hermione with a roll of her eyes.

"Well she shouldn't have put us in the same dormitory as them!" he growled in frustration.

"If you ignore them, they'll ignore you. It's really simple Ron, I don't know why this year is any different to every other year," said Hermione, getting rather annoyed with him.

"This year is different because I want to get back at them-" urged Ron.

"And we're sharing a dormitory with them, Hermione-" said Neville.

"_And_ one of them is a Death Eater - that changes everything too," Parvati went on as she looked pointedly over at Draco.

"He _was_ a Death Eater, but not anymore. I don't see why that matters," said Hermione steadily.

"He scares me, I mean, do you think he's killed anyone-?"

"They wouldn't let a murderer into Hogwarts, so he obviously hasn't done anything wrong," continued Hermione, as she concentrated on keeping her voice calm.

"I guess you're right, but still..." said Parvati nervously, as she glanced over at the Slytherins again. Hermione felt a sudden surge of anger jolt through her, but she couldn't figure out why. As the others began talking about the so called _'Death Eater'_ with Parvati, she found herself getting more and more upset about it. Perhaps it was just because she liked him, but it was more than that - they were all labelling him and judging him for what he was. Just like the Slytherin's all labelled her and judged her unfairly for what she was. It felt like her own friends were acting exactly like the Slytherin's, acting like a bunch of prejudiced gits. It just wasn't right, even if Draco did deserve it. She saw that Harry was looking at her, and he must have noticed her discomfort with everyone talking about Draco like he was a criminal.

"Anyway - what about the new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts? Who do you think it is?" he said, effectively changing the subject. Harry was the only person who had witnessed them being close at The Burrow, so he must have known that she was still friends with Draco. Well, she actually wasn't still friends with him since his parents had forbidden friendship with mudbloods, and he'd said he couldn't contact her anymore. While he had plenty of valid reasons for doing it, she still hated him for it. And while she had plenty of valid reasons for hating him, she still liked him at the same time. She glanced over her shoulder and caught him staring again.

It was going to be a long train ride.

* * *

Why was he staring at Hermione? For a number of reasons. The most important one was that he found her incredibly attractive, and he was reminded of the four weeks with her every time he saw her. Even though those four weeks included him being sent to trial and watching his father get sent to Azkaban, they also included the war ending and Voldemort's death. And they included hours upon hours of being with her and getting to know her, which he couldn't stop thinking about. The other reason was the fact that everyone else was staring at _him_ - they'd all read the Daily Prophet, and the word must have already spread that he'd been a Death Eater for more than a year. He was keeping his eyes on his friends and Hermione, and doing his best to ignore everyone else.

"So are you going to give out some detentions this year?" asked Blaise with a grin.

"No," answered Draco as he gazed out the window.

"What do you mean? You're Head of Slytherin!" said Pansy excitedly.

"McGonagall said only professors can give detentions," Draco shrugged.

"Aw, that sucks. I'd just _love_ to see that mudblood in detention..." Pansy purred as she looked pointedly at Hermione on the other side of the train. Draco felt a sudden jolt of anger as he looked at the Slytherin girl beside him, but he forced himself to remain calm. He'd spent six years insulting Granger, so he could keep doing it. And he had to keep doing it, because there was nothing else he could do about it. He could get up and leave - but there was no other compartment that would accept him. He could tell Pansy not to ever use the word '_mudblood_' again, but that would ruin his entire reputation. The only way to remain popular among Slytherin's and keep his friends, was to keep his old beliefs.

"Yeah, she'd look good scrubbing the floors without magic," smirked Draco.

"It'd suit her too-" agreed Blaise.

"She'd look '_good_'? What do you mean by that?" snapped Pansy. Draco cursed himself silently as he thought of an answer.

"You know what I mean - on the floor without magic, where she belongs," said Draco indifferently.

"Well I dunno, ever since the Yule Ball she's been looking pretty fine to me-" said Blaise sarcastically, knowing that it would frustrate Pansy.

"Shut up Blaise. That little bookworm has never looked good, she'll always just be a mudblood," said Pansy as insultingly as possible. Draco remained silent and pretended to be interested in something outside the train window, as the other two continued their discussion. There was a war raging inside his head as he glanced back over at Hermione for a few seconds, before staring out the window again. How could he keep this up for an entire year? He hadn't even stepped foot in Hogwarts yet, and he'd already insulted her. Acting or not, insulting a girl that you really like isn't easy. But it wasn't like he had any choice, and besides - she probably hated him now anyway, because of the letter he'd sent. After the little meeting with McGonagall, it was obvious that she was angry with him.

"I don't care about the mudblood - it's Weasley that I want to see in detention," Theodore Nott put in.

"Did you know that they're dating? The mudblood and him?" said Pansy in amusement.

"They aren't dating. And forget detentions, I'd rather see Weasley dead," said Draco coldly, as he continued to look out the window. That was actually true, and he smirked slightly as he said it. As long as he could change the subject to Potter and Weasley, he'd have no problem being a Slytherin git for a year.

"How do you know they're not dating?" asked Pansy curiously.

"It's obvious, isn't it? No one would want to date a mudblood like her," scoffed Blaise. Draco had a sudden urge to say, '_I would_', but he kept quiet and just smirked casually like he normally would. The conversations started getting more serious as they got closer to Hogwarts, as Pansy once again voiced her complaints about sleeping in the dungeons. Most of the other Slytherin's agreed with her, but Draco didn't really care where he slept - as long as he was in the same dormitory as Hermione, it didn't matter. Crabbe and Goyle barely spoke at all, because they spent practically the entire time eating and following the trolley lady for more. While Blaise and Pansy constantly talked, Nott eventually got a book out and started reading. Draco just continued looking out the window, glancing at Hermione, joining the others' conversation whenever they asked a question and appearing bored in general. He was mostly planning when and how he could talk to Hermione in private, because he was dying to talk to her already.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What do you think of how Draco is acting? Unfair because he is insulting Hermione, or understandable because he has to act to maintain his reputation?

- Who do you think the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	33. Chapter 33

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 33**

The mysterious new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was revealed the moment everyone entered the Great Hall - Remus Lupin. Practically every sixth, seventh and eighth year student cheered when they saw him, because he'd taught them when they were in their first, second and third years. Everyone knew that he was the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts in ages, too. As everyone settled into their seats for the Start of Term feast, their was a buzz of conversation as younger students asked older students who the new teacher was.

"Trust me, there's no better teacher than Lupin - he actually brings dangerous creatures into the classroom-" Ron was saying to a group of second year Gryffindor's.

"And teaches you defensive spells and lets you practice in class," Harry added enthusiastically. Hermione smiled at them as a little army of Gryffindor's surrounded them and asked them questions. That was the famous Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, and the one who defeated Voldemort once and for all. He was rich and famous, half-blood, an eighth year, Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and Seeker, all the teachers loved him - except Snape - and he'd helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup and House Cup countless times. It was the first time he'd returned to Hogwarts in over a year, so yes, there was a significant amount of students following him everywhere. Ron was quite well known now too, since he'd become a decent Keeper for Gryffindor, and a picture of all three of them had been put in the Daily Prophet over the summer. And Hermione? Well, she was still just Hermione Granger, that bushy-haired best friend of Harry Potter. She didn't receive much attention, but she liked it more that way. She glanced over at the Hufflepuff table where Ernie Macmillan was being slapped on the back for becoming Head Boy - it was rare that Hufflepuff ever got anything important, so when they did, they loved to celebrate. And on the other side of the Great Hall was the Slytherin table, and Draco was surrounded by his own little army of Slytherin's just like Harry. His popularity hadn't much changed at all - if anything, it'd improved. He was rich, powerful, dangerous, pureblood, an eighth year, Head of Slytherin, Slytherin's Quidditch Captain and Seeker, and he looked strangely attractive in his Slytherin robes - something Hermione had never noticed before.

"Here come the first years," said Ginny in a sing-song voice as a line of kids nervously walked into the Great Hall. Hermione tore her eyes away from the Slytherin table and looked towards the front. Along the staff table were all of the ordinary teachers, and Lupin was sitting beside Snape and Hagrid. The three of them seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, although Snape hadn't changed - he looked just as bored and cold as he always did.

"I feel sorry for them, I was terrified when I got sorted," said Neville as he watched.

"I already knew I was going to be in Gryffindor, I mean, look at my hair," said Ron with a shrug.

"You reckon Snape will make those Wolfsbane potions for Lupin again?" asked Harry curiously.

"I think so. And if they get along this year, they might actually make a good team," said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Doubt it. Nobody can '_get along_' with Snape," said Harry.

"Well they have to - I mean, Lupin needs Snape's potions and Snape needs Lupin's job," Hermione explained, but before they could talk any further everyone went quiet as the Sorting Hat was placed on the wooden stool, to begin his song. There were over a thousand students in the Great Hall, it was brightly lit with torches and the roof was the familiar enchanted night sky, with floating candles above their heads. Despite how bright, energetic and loud the hall was moments ago, everyone was silent as they awaited the song.

_"In times of old, when I was new,_  
_And Hogwarts barely started,_  
_The founders of our noble school_  
_Thought never to be parted._

_United by a common goal,_  
_They had the selfsame yearning_  
_To make the world's best magic school_  
_And pass along their learning._

_"Together we will build and teach"_  
_The four good friends decided._  
_And never did they dream that they_  
_Could some day be divided._

_You could never find friends anywhere,_  
_Like Slytherin and Gryffindor_  
_Unless it was the second pair_  
_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_  
_How could such friendships fail?_  
_Why, I was there, so I can tell_  
_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach only those_  
_Whose ancestry's purest."_  
_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_  
_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_  
_With brave deeds to their name."_  
_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot_  
_And treat them just the same."_

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_  
_for several happy years,_  
_but then discord crept among us_  
_feeding on our faults and fears._

_The Houses that, like pillars four_  
_had once held up our school_  
_now turned upon each other and_  
_divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_  
_must meet an early end,_  
_what with duelling and with fighting_  
_and the clash of friend on friend._

_And at last there came a morning_  
_when old Slytherin departed_  
_and though the fighting then died out_  
_he left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_  
_were whittled down to three_  
_have the Houses been united_  
_as they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_  
_and you all know the score:_  
_I sort you into Houses_  
_because that is what I'm for._

_But this year I'll go further,_  
_listen closely to my song:_  
_though condemned I am to split you_  
_still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_  
_and must sort you every year_  
_still I wonder whether sorting_  
_may cause hatred and even fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_  
_the warning history shows,_  
_for our Hogwarts is still in danger_  
_from external, deadly foes,_

_Our Hogwarts is still divided,_  
_just look around this Great Hall,_  
_this year must bring about change_  
_or the castle will surely fall._

_We must unite despite our differences,_  
_or we'll crumble from within_  
_I have told you, I have warned you..._  
_now let the Sorting begin."_

When the hat finally finished, everyone was silent for a few seconds as they let the words sink in.

"Another warning? That's odd," said Ron thoughtfully.

"'_Our Hogwarts is still in danger, from external deadly foes..._' the hat said the same thing in our fifth year. But Voldemort is dead. Who else is out there?" asked Harry quietly.

"I would say it was speaking about the Death Eaters on the run, but... I'm more worried about the lines before that, Harry," Hermione replied.

"What d'you-?" he began to ask.

"I'll tell you later - the sorting is about to start," Hermione interrupted.

"There's no way I'm uniting with Slytherins, no matter what some old hat says," said Ron firmly.

"You got that right-" Seamus sniggered.

"Maybe the hat was warning us about you, Ron," said Hermione sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean-?"

"SLYTHERIN!" roared the first sorting, and everyone looked over as a tiny black haired girl skipped over to the Slytherin table to whistles and cheers.

"Aw, she's adorable. I hope we get one like her," said Lavender Brown as the little girl sat with some Slytherin second years.

"Adorable now, but in a few years she'll probably be a murderer-" said Ron in amusement.

"Ron that's enough-" snapped Hermione.

"What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking-"

"If I hear you insult anyone from any house without a proper reason I'll put you in detention. And I don't care what everyone thinks," said Hermione furiously.

"RAVENCLAW!" came the next sorting.

"What's gotten into you?" Ron demanded as soon as the cheering stopped.

"_Me_? You think I'm the problem?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.

"Yes I do-!"

"I'm not the one being a prejudiced git, _you_ are! Did you even listen to a word McGonagall said on the train?" Hermione asked, knowing that he wouldn't have an answer.

"So what if I am being prejudiced, they deserve it! They've been prejudiced for over a thousand years for absolutely no reason, so don't call me the problem!" shouted Ron. Thankfully not many people heard him, because everyone was cheering for a first year who'd just been sorted into Hufflepuff. Hermione shook her head and looked away furiously, deciding to just ignore him. It was amazing how much she could truly hate Ron Weasley sometimes, and it often came in phases. During their first year he was a huge git to her because she had no friends, during their fourth year he was a huge git to her because she went with Viktor Krum to the Yule Ball, during their seventh year on the run he was a huge git when he walked out on Harry and herself. Yes, Ron had a tendency to be a huge git if he wanted to. And this year was no different from all the others - apart from the fact that Hermione had feelings for one of the people that Ron fundamentally hated.

"Give it a break, guys," said Harry uneasily.

"Slytherins are bad people. We have never liked them. That is the truth, and it's never going to change," said Ron, as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Hermione hoped that more people would disagree with him, but nobody did. The rest of Gryffindor agreed with him - in fact, the rest of the school apart from Slytherin agreed with him. Just like the Sorting Hat said, ever since the four founders became three, Hogwarts had never been united as it was meant to be.

"Fine, nobody likes them and they're a group of gits, they always have been. But I came here to study and get good marks, not fight with their house for another year-" said Hermione tiredly.

"You don't have to fight, we can do that-" said Ron with a shrug.

"This isn't a bloody battlefield, Ron, it's a school! If you start fights with them, they'll hate us-"

"They already hate us-!"

"Well if you left them alone, maybe they wouldn't be such jerks-"

"They're already jerks too!" cried Ron in exasperation.

"Oh my god, you're so frustrating!" said Hermione as loudly as possible without yelling.

"Will you two just be quiet? Half the table can hear you," Harry said, getting annoyed. After that they were generally silent as they watched the sorting unhappily. The more Hermione thought about it, the more she began to doubt herself too. Ron had a pretty good point, and what if she was wrong? What if she was only acting like this because she liked Draco? Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise, Millicent Bulstrode - the lot of them were snide and mean, and they were only the eighth years. The younger Slytherin's were even worse. The chance of '_unity_' ever occuring was practically impossible. But the Sorting Hat was never wrong, and it's words were still echoing in the back of Hermione's mind. There wasn't much time to think about it though, because the sorting was soon over and after Professor McGonagall said a few words, the Start-of-Term feast began. All of their golden plates filled with delicious food in an instant, and Ron stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth ravenously like he always did.

* * *

"Now, I'd like to say a few announcements before we all head off to bed," began Professor McGonagall once everyone had finished eating. Crabbe and Goyle were still going, of course, and they were completely oblivious to everything around them as they ate.

"To all of our first year students - welcome to Hogwarts! And to all older students, welcome back. As you all know, Hogwarts has been through some serious events in the last few years, and it is important that we acknowledge these events and move on. Lord Voldemort is dead, his followers are in Azkaban and they will never return. All of their ideas and beliefs are gone with them, and so we are starting this year on a clean slate. I urge all of you to look to the future, and forget the past," said McGonagall seriously.

"And now, our announcements - as you may have noticed, we have two new professors joining our staff this year. Please welcome Professor Lupin, who will be taking the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. And Professor Barbage, who will be taking the post of Muggle Studies," said McGonagall, and she was replied with cheers from most of the students. The Slytherin's didn't really care either way, as they weren't too fond of Lupin and they despised Muggle Studies.

"Wasn't Barbage killed last year? Who is that?" asked Ron curiously. The new Muggle Studies teacher was much younger, and - much more beautiful. She was in her early twenties, a bit short, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Which was odd, because there were rarely any young or good looking female teachers at Hogwarts.

"She was - that's her younger sister. Elizabeth Barbage, I think her name is," said Hermione thoughtfully.

"How do you know?" asked Ron in surprise.

"I did Muggle Studies in our third year, remember?" she explained.

"And with our new staff members, we also have some new student roles. This year we will be having Head of House students, to help out the staff. These students will be your house leaders and representatives. They will solve any problems that you have, give you guidance and advice - and hand out punishments for rule breaking. I would like to ask our four Head of House students to stand up for a moment, please," said McGonagall. Everyone looked around in excitement to see who these special four people were, and Hermione felt her face burn red - she'd never had to stand up in front of the school before. But she stood up proudly anyway, and smiled as everyone in Gryffindor roared and banged the table. She looked over at Hufflepuff and saw Ernie Macmillan standing with his chest puffed out to show off his Head Boy badge as well, and he reminded her of Percy Weasley. Padma Patil was standing up at Ravenclaw in embarassment, being the shy twin of Parvati Patil. And the most noise was coming from Slytherin, as their entire house was banging the table and cheering as Draco stood up with an air of superiority. Hermione rolled her eyes at him. When they all sat down again, it took a while for the noise to die down enough for McGonagall to continue talking.

"We still have three more students to acknowledge - these three students are doing a Teaching Trainee program this year, and will be fully qualified Hogwarts professors next year. These three gifted students have showed exceptional talent in their chosen subject, and we will be proud to have them join the staff next year. First, Neville Longbottom will be taking the post of Herbology professor, Hermione Granger will be taking the post of Transfiguration professor, and Draco Malfoy will be taking the post of Potions Master," said McGonagall. The first two names received plenty of applause, but there was a significant amount of booing from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff when Draco's name was announced. But the booing was drowned out instantly by the younger Slytherin's, who cheered as they realized that one of their peers would become their Potions professor next year. When all of the student announcements were finally over, Professor McGonagall continued with the last few notices to do with the school.

"As you all know, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. Mr Filch, our caretaker, would like to remind you all that magic is not to be used in the corridors in between classes. Quidditch will be proceeding as usual this year, and our eighth year students will be allowed to participate. If you would like to join your Quidditch team, please contact your House Captain. We are also looking for a new Quidditch commentator, if you're interested please contact myself or Professor Sprout, who is our new Deputy Headmistress. Now, will all of this said, I would like to ask our Head of House students to lead your houses to their dormitories. All other eighth years please follow me," finished Professor McGonagall. At that, everyone burst into discussion and all eyes were on Hermione as she stood up and took a deep breath.

"Okay, first years follow me!" she called.

"We'll see you at the common room Hermione, remember it's at the dungeons-" said Harry, as the rest of the eighth years followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall. Hermione just nodded, as she already knew most of the details. McGonagall had told her the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and the location of the eighth year common room on the train. All of the first year Gryffindor's crowded around her, and she grinned briefly as she led the way to the Gryffindor tower. On the other side of the Great Hall she saw a group of nervous Slytherin kids trailing behind Draco as he walked the opposite direction.

* * *

Once up at the Gryffindor tower she told all the prefects what the password was to get in and waited for the whole house to arrive. Then she explained everything that McGonagall had explained to her - that she was the equivelant to the Head of Gryffindor House, and all of their problems and concerns would go to her. Then she answered questions about the eighth year dormitory - the younger students seemed disappointed that Harry Potter wouldn't be sharing a common room with them. After all of these questions were answered and they were all settled in, Hermione left and made her way back through the empty corridors to the Great Hall. A few professors were still seated at the staff table in quiet conversation, and she saw Lupin and Snape and made her way over to them.

"Hermione! It's good to see you," said Lupin the moment he noticed her walking over.

"Good to see you too Remus. I had no idea that you'd come back to teach?" she asked pleasantly.

"Just for a year, I haven't got much else to do, what with Tonks... passing away," he said grimly. He had the same black rings under his eyes and patched up old robes, giving off an even more shabby and tired appearance than ever before.

"I'm sorry, it was awful," said Hermione sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, what's done is done. I'm glad I came back here though, this castle brings back a lot of good memories," said Lupin with a smile.

"I hope you're not lost, miss Granger?" drawled Snape, making it obvious that he didn't like her interruption.

"Nope, just on my way to the eighth year dormitory. Well, see you in class!" said Hermione, with a brief smile as she kept walking. Lupin nodded, before turning back to Snape and continuing their previous conversation. As she glanced back she noticed that they must have been talking about something private, like his Wolfsbane potions... or maybe even the Death Eaters who were on the run. Either way, she didn't wait around because she was already way behind the rest of the eighth years, since she had to go all the way up to the Gryffindor tower. When she finally reached the dungeons, she noticed that it was much colder and there were a bunch of different corridors leading to different areas. She'd only ever gone to the dungeons for Potions class, and she wasn't sure which corridor lead to the eighth year dormitory. As she uncertainly walked down towards a large door to the far right, she heard a voice from behind her.

"I wouldn't go that way Granger, it leads to the Slytherin common room," said the voice. It was very familiar.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- What sort of things do you want to happen in the next few chapters? For example which characters do you want to read more of, what classes/professors do you want to see them in, more arguing or less arguing between Hermione and Ron, some Harry vs Draco Quidditch or not, House interactions in the common room, etc etc.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	34. Chapter 34

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 34**

As she made her way down to the dungeons, Hermione thought about the train ride and her encounters with Draco. She was still angry with him for the letter he'd sent over the summer, basically saying that she was too hard to be friends with and that they couldn't be together due to his parents. And now at Hogwarts, all five of them - Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Draco - had agreed to keep everything that happened over the summer a secret. Nobody knew that they'd spent four weeks together destroying horcruxes and defeating Voldemort - not even Ginny. And nobody knew that Draco had spent a few weeks at the Weasley's house and kissed Hermione Granger, before having his trial. While they'd agreed to keep this a secret to maintain Draco's reputation and Slytherin popularity, and also because Harry and Ron hated him, Hermione still wasn't happy with the situation. She knew that Draco would pretend to hate her because she was a Gryffindor mudblood, and she knew that all of Gryffindor would hate him for being a former Death Eater. And if they kept their friendship a secret, it wouldn't last forever. Well, that was her perspective on everything.

"I wouldn't go that way Granger, it leads to the Slytherin common room," said a voice suddenly. It was very familiar. Just as she assumed, when Hermione turned around she came face to face with Draco Malfoy. They were currently standing in a cold, dungeon corridor which was faintly lit up with flaming torches. The dungeons were usually spooky at night, but neither of them noticed as they were focused entirely on each other.

"Well if you're so smart, which way is it?" asked Hermione in annoyance.

"Left," replied Draco. Instead of heading towards the left door to go to the eighth year dormitory where they were meant to be, they both simply stood there and stared at each other.

"Why did you stop owling me?" Hermione asked next.

"I had no choice-"

"There's always a choice, Malfoy," said Hermione firmly, as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You know why I stopped. If my father found out about us he'd disown me and leave me with nothing. If anyone here at Hogwarts found out, we'd both be screwed," he explained, hoping that she would understand where he was coming from.

"Your mother didn't disown you-"

"My mother is a bit more forgiving," said Draco with a smirk.

"None of this even matters anyway. We'll never be friends because your parents would never accept me, and you are too afraid of losing your friends and reputation-" said Hermione angrily.

"I can say exactly the same thing to you," Draco pointed out defensively.

"I'm not the one that ended all contact with you and left you depressed for almost a month over the summer-!" hissed Hermione, once again being reminded of how betrayed she felt when she'd received his letter weeks previously.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it!" argued Draco.

"Well that's the problem, isn't it? It doesn't matter who's fault it is, because this will never work," said Hermione exasperatedly.

"We don't have to go around telling everyone that we're in love with each other - but we can still be friends," said Draco, as he took a step closer to her.

"A secret friendship won't last forever. And besides, I want to be more than friends - and I know that you do too," said Hermione firmly, with a slight blush as she remembered kissing him and saying goodbye at Diagon Alley, which seemed like ages ago.

"We won't tell everyone immediately, and we won't keep it a secret forever. It'll happen gradually," said Draco, making it clear that he had given this quite alot of thought as well. Hermione seemed to like this idea, and it made sense. Most couples didn't go around telling everyone who they were in love with each other anyway - they just let it happen.

"I don't snog secret boyfriends," said Hermione next, thinking of as many excuses as possible.

"We don't have to snog - no snogging, no hugging or touching until we're officially together," Draco promised instantly.

"And you're not allowed to pretend to hate me," said Hermione, looking him closely in the eye this time. She knew that he was saying jokes about her with Pansy and Blaise on the train - after six years of being bullied by him, she could easily tell when he was saying something nasty. And she knew that he would try to continue to be prejudiced in order to maintain his reputation.

"That's impossible, I've always insulted you - they'll suspect something-" said Draco with a shake of his head.

"I don't care, Draco," said Hermione softly as she moved closer to him with a coy smile, "make up a story and lie, pretend that Professor McGonagall said you can't be prejudiced anymore - I don't care how you do it. But you're never allowed to be mean to me."

There was a long pause as they stood painfully close together and looked into each others eyes. Draco was burning to inch his head closer and gently touch his lips to hers, or at least wrap his arm around her waist, or brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. Any form of contact would be good enough, after spending weeks of not seeing her at all. Her words were still ringing in his mind, '_you're never allowed to be mean to me_', and he normally would have smirked at an absurd sentence like that, especially coming from the girl he'd been mean to for most of his teenage life. Also due to the fact that he was an arrogant pureblood, and nobody could tell him what to do. But at that moment he was under her spell, and all he could do was smile slowly as she mesmerized him. Before he could snap out of it and reply, they heard footsteps coming down the passageway towards them and he took a quick step backwards just in time.

"Granger! Are you lost?" asked Ernie Macmillan as he strode down the corridor towards them.

"No, I'm just going to the dormitory," Hermione answered pleasantly.

"What's he doing here?" Ernie asked with distaste as he glared at Draco next.

"Going to the dormitory, what else would I be doing here?" snapped Draco with equal dislike. He looked at Hermione one last time with the ghost of a smile before walking off in the most arrogant way he could muster, without listening to Ernie's reply. When the Hufflepuff reached her, he was shaking his head in annoyance.

"I don't like him one bit," he muttered.

"Why?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Well, it's obvious isn't it? Not only did he bully people - you and me for example - but he became a Death Eater too," said Ernie as he looked at her strangely, obviously expecting her to agree completely. He was right after all, she was constantly bullied for being a mudblood and he was often bullied simply for being a Hufflepuff - and he'd always been a bit of a nerd, hence becoming Head Boy. And besides, Hufflepuff's were always laughed at and ridiculed at Hogwarts, especially when they were little, because they were the least talented house. The dorky Ernie Macmillan definitely got his fair share of insults from Malfoy when they were younger.

"That was a long time ago, though. I mean, he hasn't bullied me since sixth year, and even then he didn't do it much," said Hermione with a casual shrug as they began walking.

"That's because you haven't seen him since sixth year, what with his Death Eater activities. Apparently he was let off the hook, though," said Ernie, although he didn't seem too convinced.

"Yeah, I read the Prophet. He probably didn't do anything bad," said Hermione confidently. There were a few seconds of awkward silence between them, as they weren't exactly friends - just classmates and acquaintances. All she knew about him was that in their second year, Ernie was one of the Hufflepuff's who suspected that Harry was the heir of Slytherin after speaking Parseltongue. After this was proven false, he apologized. During class he was always nice, friendly, reliable, loyal, hard working and quite smart, as Hufflepuff as you can be. And he was always on good terms with Gryffindor's, since he hated Slytherin's just as much as everyone else.

"How are you liking the Head Girl status?" asked Ernie to break the silence. Hermione smiled brightly.

"It's great, I've wanted to be Head Girl ever since I was little. I just wish there was less conflict between the houses sometimes," she explained.

"Well that's our job - enforcing the rules, stopping fights in the corridors, solving disputes between students and reducing the conflict," Ernie agreed thoughtfully.

"Well then we're going to have one hell of a job this year," said Hermione with a sigh, as they finally arrived on the corridor leading to the eighth year dormitory. Ernie chuckled at that, but the closer they got to the door, the more his amusement faded. They could hear shouting and arguing from inside, and it was obvious that their impossible job had already started. The door looked exactly like your ordinary dungeon door, except it wasn't ordinary at all. There was no handle, for starters. And in large, beautiful golden letters it read, '_Eighth Years_' on the front.

"Dawn," said Ernie clearly, and Hermione realized that that was the password Professor McGonagall had told everyone. As soon as he'd said the word, a golden door-knob magically appeared and he opened it quickly.

* * *

When the door opened, it felt as though they'd been slapped in the face by the scene in front of them. The common room looked magnificent. Professor McGonagall obviously couldn't have one just houses colours, and trying to put all of the houses colours together would have made it look bizarre. So instead, the eighth year colours consisted of bronze, gold and black. The walls were all the typical greyish tinge of dungeon brick, but they were lined with golden flaming torches, Hogwarts portraits and artistic magical paintings. There was a large golden clock on the far end of the room, and it was surrounded by a few small announcements that were stuck to the wall. There was a large fireplace made of bronze right beside the doorway they were standing in, and when the fire ignited it made the bronze metal shine a deep, sharkling gold. All around the room there were comfortable black sofas and couch's, all of which were lined with gold or had golden pillows. Even the floor was covered with rich, golden carpet. It looked strikingly similar to the Gryffindor common room, except everything was black or bright, shiny gold - rather than warm red and orange. On the far left hand side of the common room there were two doors - one leading to the Ravenclaw sleeping quarters, and one leading to the Hufflepuff sleeping quarters. On the far right hand side of the room there were another two doors - one leading to the Slytherin sleeping quarters, and one leading to the Gryffindor sleeping quarters. Each doorway leading to its individual sleeping quarters had the houses name written on it. Hufflepuff was written in bright yellow. Ravenclaw was written in blue. Slytherin was written in green. And Gryffindor was written in red.

Hermione went over everything in her head again, so as to remember all of the locations.

In short, you open the dormitory door and look inside. Straight ahead on other side of common room you'll see the back wall scattered with announcements and the giant gold clock. You look left and see two doorways leading to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sleeping quarters. You look right and see two other doorways leading to the Slytherin and Gryffindor sleeping quarters. All the walls are lined with flaming torches, Hogwarts portraits and magical artworks. And right beside the eighth year dormitory door, is the giant bronze fireplace. Golden tables, chairs, sofas, couchs and endless other peices of furniture are scattered throughout the room, which is built large enough to accomodate their entire year group. Overall, it was a lot to take in and it looked very - _golden._

But enough of the appearance and decorations. Now find adult students from every house and chuck them all into this large room together, and that's what Hermione was faced with. Nobody seemed to be getting along. The Gryffindor and Slytherin students - namely Parvati, Lavender, Ron, Seamus, Dean, Harry, Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, Theodore, Millicent, and so many more - were arguing over the fireplace. Gryffindor students traditionally always had a big warm fireplace to sit around, and so they wanted to sit around the bronze one like they always used to. The Slytherin's fireplace was tiny and gave hardly any warmth, causing their common room to always be cold, and so the bronze fireplace was a luxury to them. Of course, sharing the fireplace would never be agreed upon. The Hufflepuff's were siding with Gryffindor and shouting insults at Slytherin also, and Hermione figured that someone in Slytherin must have said something highly offensive - most likely Draco throwing a snide insult at Harry - which caused the giant uproar. Ravenclaw were generally minding their own business, but Padma Patil - Parvati's twin sister, and Head of Ravenclaw - was doing her best to try and calm everyone down. Ravenclaw had always been the passive and intelligent house.

"You had six years of sitting in front of a fireplace all night, you don't need it now-!" shouted Blaise.

"You don't need it either, so go sit somewhere else-" was Ron's reply.

"I spent six years going to bed shivering because of how cold our common room was, so yes, I do need this fireplace!" argued Pansy shrilly, as she pushed herself past Ron and Seamus and plopped onto the sofa comfortably. Ron looked ready to simply push her off, but he was stopped by numerous people.

"Touch her and I'll cut your hands off, Weasley-" was of course Draco's warning.

"Don't Ron, just find somewhere else to sit," said Hermione firmly, as she walked into the common room.

"We're sitting at the fireplace, no matter what," said Ron angrily.

"Well I'm not moving from this sofa, so you'll have to pick me up and throw me off," said Pansy, with a malicious smile. She was only saying such things because she knew that if any other boy tried to move her, they would be hexed into oblivion by Draco. It made Hermione feel almost jealous that Pansy had that level of protection from Draco - but then realized that Harry and Ron would also beat the hell out of anyone who tried to hurt her. When Pansy had finished the sentence and made it clear that she wouldn't move, Parvati quickly claimed another sofa and curled up on it before any of the Slytherin boys could sit down. Blaise didn't seem to care though, as he sat down right beside her and stretched out comfortably - causing Harry and Ron to draw wands on him, and then Draco and Theodore to draw wands on them, and vice versa.

"Get off of Parvati's sofa or I'll jump on Parkinson's-" Ron warned.

"Put your wand down or I'll stun you and snap it in half-" said Draco without hesitation, as Blaise smirked.

"You don't stand a chance against us-" scoffed Harry.

"I know a hundred different spells that could kill you Potter, and I'm not afraid to use them-"

"Only because you're a Death Eater-"

"Have you got a problem with Draco? Because if you do-!" began Pansy angrily.

"Yeah I do, he shouldn't even be allowed in Hogwarts!" said Parvati defiantly, but she flinched and moved away from Blaise who was sitting right beside her on the sofa.

"That is enough, all of you be quiet!" shouted Hermione, having had enough of listening to the petty arguing.

"Nobody wants your opinion, mudblood-" spat Pansy as hurtfully as possible.

"Watch your mouth Parkinson," said Ron dangerously.

"Twenty points from Slytherin," continued Hermione.

"Take a hundred points, I don't care-"

"Slytherin can have the fireplace tonight, and Gryffindor can have it tomorrow night. After that, we'll organize it so that every house gets to sit near it equally," said Ernie, who was still standing in the doorway. Everyone went silent as they heard him speak, and listened to every word - which annoyed Hermione, since she'd simply been insulted when she tried to help out. By then it was clear to her why Ernie was made Head Boy - he wasn't just the type of person who always abided by the rules and got good marks, he also had leadership qualities and he was always fair. While Hermione tried to be fair too, she lacked certain leadership qualities, and she also lacked respect from most of the Slytherin's because she was muggle-born.

"That still isn't fair, our fireplace was tiny in the Slytherin common room-" Pansy continued.

"I don't care how small your old fireplace was, that doesn't matter anymore. This is our common room now, be thankful you get to stay near the fireplace for the first night," said Ernie with just a hint of impatience in his tone.

"Fine. But this isn't over, Parkinson," spat Ron, as he glared down at the brunette hatefully.

"Whatever Weasley," said Pansy as she kicked her shoes off and put her feet up on the sofa, making herself completely at home. After a while it became obvious how the common room would work. The Slytherin's all crowded around the fire on sofas and chairs, increasing the heat, talking quietly amongst themselves. They were a very secretive bunch by nature, but they continued looking at the Gryffindor's triumphantly, as if sitting at the bronze fireplace somehow made them superior to everyone else. This annoyed Ron immensely. The Hufflepuff's and Gryffindor's were spread out across the room together, generally the two houses that got along the most. And Ravenclaw's were being Ravenclaw's - they were adding notes to the announcements, inspecting the portraits and artworks, checking their sleeping quarters, getting their books out at tables and talking about what subjects they would be taking that year. Being intellectual. Sometimes Hermione wished she was a Ravenclaw, since it fit her personality so well - but she would always be a Gryffindor deep down.

"I can't believe they get the fireplace the first night. Who made Ernie Head Boy? I mean seriously?" Ron was complaining as he and Hermione sat comfortably on a sofa, with Harry leaning against it on the carpet like they did in the Gryffindor common room. Only this time, they didn't have a warm fire to sit by. The Slytherin's had taken that.

"At least he solved the dispute," said Hermione, remembering what he said about their jobs as Head Boy and Girl earlier.

"Why can't they just go sit in their sleeping quarters? It's obvious that nobody likes them," Ron continued.

"Why can't you just stop complaining about them, we're going to be here for a whole year Ron, for gods sake!" said Hermione, with an annoyed '_ugh!_' as she got off the sofa and headed for the Gryffindor sleeping quarters.

* * *

**Author Notes:** I'm going to try and speed things up - there's still heaps of the storyline to go, and I've realized that these chapters are beginning to get super detailed. So yeah, sorry if all of the details are boring you! xD Coming up next will be their classes, and quidditch, and all of that good stuff that happens at Hogwarts.

Thank you to everyone who has ever reviewed and added to their alerts/ favourites, as the story has just exceeded the one thousand mark.** Thank you!**

**Reader Questions:**

- What did you think of Ernie Macmillan's character? He might play an important role later on.. well, all the characters will be important somehow. xD

- How soon do you think Harry should see Snape's memories of Lily? Snape mentioned this in an older chapter and I still haven't decided when it will happen. I'm going to save it for the right moment, but your ideas are welcome! :)

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	35. Chapter 35

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 35**

When Hermione woke up the next morning, she observed the Gryffindor sleeping quarters again. From the moment you walk in the door, everything was a royal red and gold colour, making her feel like she was in a miniature version of the Gryffindor tower. On either side of the corridor was a girls sleeping quarters and a boys sleeping quarters. And inside both sleeping quarters were five four-poster beds, and another door leading to a separate bathroom. Everything was familiar to her old dormitory, which made her curious as to what the other Houses sleeping quarters looked like. After checking the time and getting ready, she quickly left her bathroom-bedroom with her bag, and made her way down the hall to the main common room. As she walked in, she saw that not many people were awake. Mostly just a few Ravenclaw's sitting around one of the larger tables at the back of the room. Neville sitting by the fireplace reading a Herbology book. And a few other Hufflepuff's playing chess. Slytherin's were nowhere to be seen - either hiding in their sleeping quarters, or they'd already gone to breakfast. Either way, the multi-house common room gave off a friendly and diverse appearance. As long as nobody was arguing, it would be quite a pleasant year.

"Hermione, you going to breakfast?" asked Neville when he saw her.

"Yeah, want to come?" she offered politely.

"Sure. Crabbe and Goyle left about twenty minutes ago, can you believe it?" asked Neville in exasperation. Hermione smiled, remembering being in the tent ages ago when Draco would tell her the stupid things Crabbe and Goyle did. Everyone knew that they were the first to get to breakfast, and the last to leave.

"I wonder how fat they've gotten this year," Hermione said in amusement, getting a laugh of agreement from Neville. It was odd leaving their common room from the dungeons, instead of the Gryffindor tower - and Hermione realized that she would be following the same path as the Slytherin's to the Great Hall every morning from now on. When they arrived in the Great Hall, there was hardly anyone there. The only people that arrived this early were people dedicated to studying quietly while they ate, people who couldn't sleep, people who simply woke up really early - and people who had to eat as much as they possibly could, for as long as possible. Crabbe and Goyle sat on the other side of the hall, enthusiastically stuffing their faces with anything their hands could reach. Every few minutes they would mumble something to each other and laugh stupidly. Hermione supposed that Draco was right - if the two giants were actually your friends, they wouldn't be too bad. Following you around cracking jokes, eating food, knocking out anyone who tried to touch you. Kind of like Harry and Ron, but... less complicated, and bigger and dumber. But of course, they weren't her friends - and they never would be. Instead they would just scowl and insult her everytime they saw her, without even knowing why. Hermione sighed as she loaded her plate with food, and got out a Transfiguration book to read as she ate. Neville did the same with his Herbology book. They were both a bit rusty due to the war, and becoming professors would need plenty of extra study.

* * *

When Draco woke up the next morning, he observed the Slytherin sleeping quarters again - just like Hermione did. And his sleeping quarters were absolutely identical to the Gryffindor one, the only difference being the colour - everything was a deep green and silver. Why was this really bad? It was really bad because in the original Slytherin common room, all students had their own individual bedrooms. Whereas here in the eighth year common room, they had the same setup as Gryffindor - five four-poster beds in the same room. This meant that he had to share a room with Crabbe and Goyle, who's snores were loud enough to hear through walls anyway. When he got out of bed, he noticed that Crabbe and Goyle had of course, already left for breakfast. He shook his head with a smirk at that, and saw that Blaise and Theodore were still sleeping. The moment he'd left his sleeping quarters, he was being bombarded with complaints.

"Can you believe it, our rooms being combined? Can you believe it? It's ridiculous! Not only are we in the dungeons again, but now we have absolutely _no privacy_!" hissed Pansy furiously.

"Yeah, Greg and Vince kept me up for hours," said Draco tiredly, as he walked down the hall.

"Ugh, if you think they're bad, try sleeping with Millicent. She's like a man. It's gross, I wish I had my own room. I'm going to complain to the cat," said Pansy as she walked beside him to the common room. The '_cat_' was Professor McGonagall, which was just a short nickname they'd come up with for her because of her animagus form.

"I doubt she'll change anything. They probably didn't have time to make our proper common room," said Draco.

"Because ours is better. I bet Gryffindor's have slept like that for years, no wonder they're all obsessed with friendship," said Pansy in annoyance.

"Ravenclaw's probably sleep in birds nests," smirked Draco, getting a laugh out of Pansy.

"Hufflepuff's probably sleep on top of each other, with all their loyalty crap-" she went on.

"We do sleep on top of each other, in bunk beds, to be exact," said Ernie Macmillan from one of the tables in the common room.

"You have bunk beds?" snapped Pansy.

"Yeah, we've always had bunk beds in our rooms. Massive ones-" Ernie explained. The original Hufflepuff common room was the smallest of all, and their rooms were usually small and warm, with two double bunk beds and a single, or a triple bunk bed. It was also the messiest, with blankets, pillows and fireplaces scattered throughout. The same was for their eighth year sleeping quarters. Quite the opposite for Slytherin, who had heaps of space in the dungeons to have their own individual rooms.

"This is so unfair!" she screeched, "Gryffindor get their traditional crappy rooms with five beds, Hufflepuff's get their bunk beds, and what do we get?"

"I don't know, what do you get?" asked Padma curiously from the other side of the room. Pansy thought that she was being sarcastic, and glared at her.

"Shut up Patil," she huffed as she headed for the door. Draco smirked and followed her out, as the rest of the students glared at them with dislike. He had to admit, he didn't mind Pansy. In the past she was usually obsessive, annoying and extremely offensive - normally, she would turn around and insult Padma for having no friends or something. Draco guessed that Pansy was trying to keep the insults to a minimum, since she was stuck with the other houses for the year. And she was still kind of obsessive, since she'd waited outside his door to go to breakfast with him. But she was a good friend, nonetheless.

"Look, the mudblood is already studying. God she needs to get a life," said Pansy when they arrived at the Great Hall. He glanced over and saw Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table with her long messy brown hair, a piece of toast and her Transfiguration book out. She glanced up from the book and made eye contact with him for a split second.

"I wonder how long Crabbe's been eating," said Draco with a smirk, casually avoiding talking about Hermione as they sat down.

"Probably half an hour-"

"Forty minutes," said Goyle in between mouthfuls.

"Wow, are you guys setting a new record?" Pansy played along sarcastically.

"Nah, I'm just hungry," Crabbe said shortly, before putting another whole pancake in his mouth.

* * *

"You think Snape will let me into Advanced Potions?" asked Ron, looking up at the staff table half-heartedly, later on that morning. The only reason he and Harry had gotten into Potions in their sixth year was thanks to Professor Slughorn letting them in. Snape however, only accepted students who could manage '_Outstanding_' in their OWL's. And Ron was lucky to even get an Exceeds Expectations, so the chances of him getting into Potions were quite slim. Harry got an Outstanding in his sixth year, thanks to the Half-Blood Prince book which helped him brew exceptional potions. He wasn't sure whether Snape would accept him though, since they both knew about the book, and since Snape had never liked him in the first place. Even if he was the best Potions student in the school, he doubted that Snape would let him in. But it was worth a shot.

"I dunno. I'm going to try though," said Harry in determination.

"Good work Harry. You need it to become an Auror," said Hermione.

"I hate Snape. Why did Slughorn leave?" groaned Ron.

"Probably because the moment he got here, all hell broke lose. Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts, Dumbledore died, Amycus and Alecto Carrow began teaching," said Harry thoughtfully.

"Still, he could've stuck around for another year to help us pass," said Ron, glancing at Hermione as he said this. She noticed the look.

"Don't look at me, I'm not helping you pass again-"

"Oh come on Hermione-"

"I'll help you with study, but you have to learn to do your own homework and assignments," said Hermione firmly, having had enough of doing the work for them for the past six years.

"Why? It's our last year, after this you'll never have to do it again-"

"Auror training is another three years of study - if you can't pass seventh year, how do you expect to become an Auror?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.

"I'll just become a famous Quidditch player instead, problem solved," Ron shrugged.

"Good luck with that," said Hermione under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing-"

"Here are your subjects and timetables," said Professor McGonagall from behind them, as she read the sheets of paper and began handing them out to individual students. Hermione got hers and read it eagerly. Her eagerness wasn't to see what subjects she had - she knew that they would be the same as last time, since she passed everything with Outstanding and Snape would let her into his class. She was eager simply to see her timetable, and know that she would be going to class and learning again, as nerdy as that sounds. As she expected, she was doing everything except for Muggle Studies, which she didn't need to do since she was a muggle herself. And Divination, since she'd dropped that in her third year after calling Professor Trelawny a fraud and believing the subject was full of lies.

"I knew he wouldn't let me in Potions," said Ron sadly, once he saw his timetable.

"That's it," spat Harry, getting out of his seat and heading straight for the staff table, with his timetable squished in his hand.

"Harry don't, you might get into trouble," said Hermione, but she knew there was no stopping him. She saw Pansy Parkinson walking up to the staff table at the same time, looking equally angry about something else. Seeing Pansy, Ernie Macmillan decided to head up to the staff table to see if he could help solve whatever the problem was. Seeing Ernie, Ron decided to join in too. Hermione rolled her eyes and remained where she was, as she watched the eighth year students battle it out with the teachers in front of the whole school.

"Why aren't you letting me in Potions," demanded Harry, standing right in front of Snape, McGonagall and Lupin.

"You're an inadequate student," drawled Snape.

"I got an Outstanding in my sixth year-"

"With Professor Slughorn, not me-" answered Snape immediately, as though he'd been expecting an argument with Harry.

"Because he's a better teacher than you anyway-"

"Harry," warned Lupin, shaking his head in dissaproval. Snape and Harry glared at each other, bright green eyes boring into cold black ones. Nothing had changed between them.

"Our sleeping quarters are unacceptable. I demand my own personal room," said Pansy when she arrived, looking straight at McGonagall, who raised an eyebrow.

"The eighth year dormitory was built to have equal space for all houses, so you have one sleeping quarters room-" explained McGonagall.

"I don't care if Hufflepuff and Gryffindor slept together! We have always had our own rooms!" insisted Pansy, indicating to herself and Draco, who just arrived behind her.

"Nobody cares about you-" said Ron, just to start a fight.

"Shut up Weasley! Honestly, why are you even here?" spat Pansy frustratedly.

"Calm down-" began Ernie, as he prepared to handle the situation as professionally as possible. Draco smirked in amusement, as he knew that Pansy was going to go nuts.

"Why are you here Macmillan? Why? Nobody likes you, go back to your bunk beds-"

"At least we like our sleeping quarters and aren't complaining like little girls," said Ron indifferently.

"I _am_ a little girl, you idiot, so what? Are you going to fix our sleeping quarters or not?" snapped Pansy, as she turned back to McGonagall.

"Nobody gives a damn about where you sleep Parkinson. I'm trying to get into Potions, how about you be quiet?" said Harry impatiently.

"You suck at Potions, the only reason you passed is because of the bookworm," sniggered Draco. Funnily enough, everyone knew that the bookworm was Hermione - even the teachers, because even Snape sneered in amusement.

"I see what you mean Minerva, they haven't changed at all since their third year. Probably gotten worse," said Lupin with a grin, but none of the students were amused at all.

"Can I help?" asked Padma Patil curiously, as she walked over.

"Just because you're Head of Ravenclaw house, that doesn't make you important," said Draco arrogantly.

"I'm not trying to be important, I just thought I could help-" said Padma, looking rather hurt.

"Well you can't-"

"You're here for no reason Malfoy, leave her alone," said Ernie.

"I'm here because I want my own room. You're here because.. oh that's right, you don't have a reason to be here-" Draco went on sarcastically.

"He's Head Boy-" said Padma.

"He's a loser-" Draco replied.

"Leave him alone-"

"Ooh Patil, are you in love with Ernie?" asked Pansy loudly.

"No!" protested Padma, blushing bright red.

"This is really quite childish," Professor McGonagall observed in one of her strict tones. This quietened everyone down before they could continue arguing.

"Your sleeping quarters are equal in size like everyone elses, they will not be altered. Your four-poster beds have curtains which can offer plenty of privacy, and you can add or move furniture if you'd like," explained Professor McGonagall.

"So the other houses get to have the same sleeping quarters as they used to, but Slytherin doesn't," said Pansy, putting it simply.

"No," said McGonagall firmly, not bothering to repeat why. At this, Pansy let out an annoyed '_ugh!_' and stomped away, pulling Draco with her. Ernie and Padma laughed at them slightly and headed back to their own house tables, talking quietly as they went. Harry briefly suspected that Padma probably did like Ernie, but he didn't have any time to think about it.

"I'm not moving until I'm in Potions," he said, remaining where he was and not taking his eyes from Snape.

"Me too-" began Ron.

"With Exceeds Expectations, you'll never be in Advanced Potions Weasley. It was never going to happen, and it never will," said Snape rather harshly, but honestly. Ron sighed, having given it his best, and headed off back to the Gryffindor table. There was silence as Harry stayed where he was indifferently.

"Come with me, Potter," said Snape impatiently, as he stood up and headed out of the Great Hall. Harry followed the Potions Master, feeling even more determined with the situation. Once they were out of the Great Hall and in a different corridor, he stopped and turned to look at the student.

"You and I both know that you only managed an Outstanding because of my old Potions textbook, which you probably no longer have-" began Snape in a deadly quiet voice.

"I could have gotten better marks before then, but I was never able to because I hated being in your classes-" Harry replied furiously.

"You hated being in my classes because you were in detention half the time, for not doing homework and failing assignments-"

"I'm capable of Advanced Potions, and I need it to become an Auror. Just let me in the class," said Harry, not bothering to argue any further. There was a long silence as Snape considered this.

"Do you still have my old Advanced Potions textbook?" asked Snape suddenly.

"I know where it is," answered Harry uncertainly.

"You can be in my class, but only because you seem determined and there aren't many students this year. Keep the textbook, you'll need it-" said Snape snidely.

"No I won't, I'm good enough to get an Outstanding with any textbook," said Harry, to keep a little bit of dignity.

"Suit yourself, but if you fail, I'll drop you," warned Snape, as he made his way back into the Great Hall, his black cloak billowing behind him. After a few moments of bitter dislike, Harry suddenly realized what had just happened. Snape just let him into Advanced Potions, and let him keep the old textbook as well. Plus he had Lupin for Defence Against the Dark Arts, and there was no longer any threat of being killed by dark wizards. Suddenly, things were looking pretty good this year for him. The only bad thing was the common room that he'd have to return to every afternoon, and wake up in every morning.

* * *

"Aw, is little Pothead not allowed in Potions class?" sneered Pansy as she and the other Slytherin's walked towards their first class of the day.

"I did actually, Pugface," replied Harry as he showed off his edited timetable, with Advanced Potions classes added. This shut her up, and she glared at him as she pushed passed them. Draco, Blaise and Theodore Nott were following close behind, and Draco purposefully shoved into Hermione as he passed her. Being small and not exactly expecting it from her secret boyfriend, she was thrown back into Ron and rubbing her shoulder painfully afterwards.

"Watch it, Malfoy," growled Ron.

"He's going to pay this year, I don't care if I've got to curse him with another Sectumsempra to do it-" began Harry darkly.

"If I ever see you use that curse again, I'll never talk to you Harry. Neither of you are going to hurt him, unless he deliberately hurts you-" said Hermione firmly as they continued walking. When Draco had shoved her, he'd placed a little scrunched up piece of paper in her hand - which she was currently dying to read. The large and predictably arrogant shove that he'd given her wasn't nice, but she supposed that he was doing it for his reputation. She was also deciding whether or not that counted as '_being mean_' to her, and whether or not he'd even agreed to what she'd said the night before. Perhaps the note he'd just given her would explain things.

"He did just deliberately hurt us! He doesn't have the guts to push us around, so he targets you instead because you're little. This is exactly why I want to get back at them - I told you he wouldn't change, no matter what he did over the summer," said Ron in a quiet voice this time. Hermione hushed him, not wanting anyone to suspect that they'd been with Draco over the summer.

"Look, just ignore him okay? First class we have is Charms, with the Ravenclaw's. Let's go," said Hermione, pulling them both along with her.

* * *

**Author Notes:** I hope you enjoyed the first day at Hogwarts! Things are going to get very interesting when the classes begin coming up. I know that some of you are already suspecting that certain characters will be together later on in your reviews.. but remember, it's pretty early to decide at the moment. But yes, Hermione and Draco won't be the only ones who are in love by the end of the story. Other characters will be involved too. Please keep the reviews up and let me know what you think of the story so far! xD

**Reader Questions:**

- As you may have noticed, I'm including characters such as: Ernie, Padma, Parvati, Crabbe n Goyle, Blaise, Theodore.. and others will be added more often too. Who do you want to read more of?

- How do you think the houses will get along after the first day of classes, and every other night to follow? xD

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	36. Chapter 36

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 36**

The first day of classes seemed to go incredibly fast, and Hermione found herself back in the common room early with an excuse to be studying. She quickly went over to the back of the room and sat at a table, got out her Transfiguration book, and then got out the note Draco had slipped her. After making sure the coast was clear, she opened it up and began to read:

_'We have a deal. I am not allowed to be mean to you, in public. I'll tell the others it's because McGonagall is watching me, since I'm a former Death Eater or something. Write a reply and put it under the sofa beneath the golden clock. PS: the shove doesn't count, because it's not exactly mean.'_

When she'd finished reading the note, she quickly scrunched it up and put it back into her pocket, with a scoff. How could he say that the shove '_wasn't exactly_' mean? He'd pushed her about two feet out of the way. That was definitely going to be in her reply, which she began writing immediately.

_'Shoving is only allowed if you're trying to tell me something or send a message, otherwise, it's mean. And why did you underline, 'in public'? You'd better make the lie with McGonagall work, because if anyone finds out, you'll be in big trouble. PS: I owe you a shove.'_

When she'd finished writing it, she got up and walked over to the golden clock pretending to read the time, and slipped the paper underneath the sofa like he'd instructed. There were still hardly anyone in the common room, and nobody had noticed what she did. Either way, she would be sitting near the sofa studying while she waited to make sure that he is the one who finds it, and no-one else. The minutes ticked by as she continued reading her Transfiguration textbook, which was actually from her first year. Her plan was to re-read all of the textbooks she'd received from first, second and third years - so that she could revise all of the content, before she taught the younger classes. And she'd read her seventh year Advanced Transfiguration as well, so she could get Outstanding and pass any Ministry exams they had planned for her later on. She had complete confidence in becoming a professor now, and so did Neville - he was the one who gave her the idea to read older textbooks at breakfast. He was still reading '_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_' when he walked into the common room.

"Nearly finished?" asked Hermione casually.

"Nope, I think it's going to take a while. I can't read as fast as you, and this books huge," admitted Neville gloomily as he held it up. It was indeed a gigantic Herbology book, but if he managed to remember it all, he'd have no problems passing the exams.

"You'll get there. Have you seen Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione next, since they said they'd arrive shortly after her.

"Yeah, they were getting into an arguement with the Slytherin's. Parkinson called Ron stupid for not getting into Potions, and you know how that'll end," said Neville with a grin as he sat down at the fire. Hermione sighed, and a second later the common room door opened again and in came the party.

"Potter only got into Potions because he is '_The Boy Who Lived_' and he can have whatever he wants! You're still dumber than Goyle-!" said Pansy as she entered first.

"I got an Outstanding in our sixth year-" argued Harry.

"So did I, in sixth and seventh, because I was here last year-"

"That's only because Snape favours Slytherin's-" shouted Harry, getting rather fired up.

"Slughorn was teaching in our sixth and seventh years you idiot, and he favoured you, not us! And I still managed an Outstanding, because Potions runs in our blood!" spat Pansy, with a triumphant smile. Harry thought about saying that it also ran in his blood, thanks to Lily being amazing at Potions, but this was neither the time or place to talk about his mother.

"So what, you learned way more when we were little because half the time I was in fights or detention with Snape-" said Harry.

"Well that's your own fault, isn't it? You don't see me fighting with McGonagall-" said Pansy as if she never did anything wrong.

"You were crying over your room just this morning, and McGonagall didn't do anything - imagine if that was me complaining to Snape-"

"You _were_ complaining to Snape-" Pansy scoffed.

"Can you just stop fighting or at least do it somewhere else?" asked Hermione frustratedly.

"Why don't you go read books somewhere else, mudblood-" Pansy spat.

"I was here first-"

"And you're outnumbered-"

"No, we're on her side, and if you call her a mudblood one more time I'll hex you and anyone else who tries to stop me. You think I'm some sort of coward? Try me, Parkinson," said Harry, pulling his wand out in preparation.

"Would you honestly hex a little girl for calling someone a name?" asked Pansy innocently. This caused Harry to hesitate slightly as he thought about it that way, and he continued carefully.

"Would I hex an evil git for insulting my best friend? Yes. So stop doing it," he said shortly, to cover up his hesitation. At that, Pansy slipped past him with a smile, and jumped onto one of the sofas near the fire and beside Neville, who frowned at her as he tried to concentrate on his book. Hermione glared at Pansy as she realized that everything she'd just done was an act to trick Harry into thinking she was innocent. Draco was definitely right, all Slytherin's knew how to act, lie and manipulate people. She didn't like it one bit.

"You should stop pulling your wand out, unless you're prepared to use it, Potter," said Draco, as him and the other Slytherin's walked in too.

"Give me a reason to use it, Malfoy," said Harry, his voice threatening and his expression ready.

"I don't think a will," replied Draco with a casual smile.

"Off the sofa, Gryffindor has the fire tonight," said Ron as he glared at Pansy.

"It's not even night time yet, classes only just ended. I'm just resting-"

"Well it feels like night down in these bloody dungeons, and I'm cold, so get up!" said Ron firmly.

"Now you know how it feels to live in dungeons, imagine doing it for your eighth year in a row!" screeched Pansy, as she got up and stomped over to where Draco, Blaise and the others were sitting. As all the Gryffindor's settled in around the fire and talked, Hermione moved over with them too. When she walked past Draco, she nodded towards the golden clock a tiny bit, and he seemed to understand. Minutes later and a whole bunch of Hufflepuff's arrived, and then some Ravenclaw's returned from the library, and the entire eighth year was back in the common room once again. Draco moved his Slytherin group to the golden clock at the back so that they were away from everyone else, and so he could grab Hermione's reply note before he went to bed. Despite the little argument on the way in, this night was much calmer than the night before. Perhaps that was only because they were separated from the Slytherin's, and they'd made a system for who gets the fireplace - but separation was better than arguing, at least.

* * *

The next morning was very similar to the first. Hermione woke up in her sleeping quarters and headed to the Great Hall with her books, among the other few people who arrived that early - some Ravenclaw's with Padma Patil who all studied obsessively, Crabbe and Goyle who ate obsessively, occasionally Neville if he was in the mood for reading Herbology, and students from younger years. Hufflepuff's rarely got up in the morning, and Hermione supposed that was because of how comfortable and warm their sleeping quarters was. She'd made a personal note to see what all the other sleeping quarters and House common rooms looked like, at least by the end of the year. When she sat down and got her book out at the Gryffindor table, she noticed that Crabbe and Goyle were glaring at her. At first she tried to figure out why - having not been at Hogwarts for so long, and then she remembered bitterly. Crabbe and Goyle always glared at mudbloods. In fact, the two Slytherin giants glared at everyone. Regardless, their glares still bothered her and she blocked their faces out with her textbook as she began reading. A few minutes later and she heard footsteps coming from behind her, and turned around to see Lupin.

"You're up early," he said cheerfully as he sat down at the table.

"So are you. You look tired," said Hermione in surprise. The black rings around his eyes were darker then usual, and he looked drained.

"Oh, sorry - you must have-"

"It's fine, last night was a full moon," said Lupin casually, and he waved his hand as though it didn't matter. She supposed that it didn't anymore, since almost all of the older students knew that he was a werewolf now. Everyone knew that's why he left in their third year, and the Prophet had made lots of stories about him - no doubt Rita Skeeta helped write the articles.

"Is that what you and Snape were talking about after the Start of Term feast?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, he's promised to supply me with Wolfsbane potions again. I'm also working on... mending old grudges, but he's a difficult person," said Lupin with a tired smile.

"I think they all are," said Hermione with an exasperated sigh, as she looked pointedly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ah, your combined common room. How's that working out?" continued Lupin.

"Not good. You know Harry and Ron, now they're all grown up and famous, they want revenge on all the Slytherin's," said Hermione in annoyance.

"Seems only natural. You don't want revenge?" asked Lupin.

"I don't want conflict," answered Hermione carefully.

"Harry and Ron aren't the only ones who want revenge, you know. Severus still hasn't gotten over his dislike for James and Sirius since Hogwarts. Think of all the Slytherin's who's parents are rotting in Azkaban cells, or being discriminated against by the Daily Prophet now," said Lupin, making it clear that he'd been observing the news. Lupin must know a thing or two about discrimination, after being shunned by most of the wizarding community for being a werewolf.

"Now that Voldemort is dead, don't you think people should move on?" insisted Hermione. Lupin looked at her for a few seconds thoughtfully.

"Want to know what I think?" he said, and Hermione nodded curiously.

"I think the fight between the founders set of a chain of events. Slytherin, in the past, has always been the weakest house-"

"That's absurd, they bully everyone-" Hermione disagreed, remembering all the older Slytherin's who walked the corridors shoving people out of their way. In her experience, Slytherin's were people you don't mess with unless you're old enough to defend yourself.

"No Hermione, not in the past. The other three houses always picked on Slytherin. Why do you think Severus hates me, Harry's father and Sirius so much? Why do you think the Sorting Hat stressed about the houses uniting, and that dividing you into four could be disastrous, or even the source of the problem? _'Oh, know the perils, read the signs, the warning history shows'_," Lupin quoted a part of the Sorting Hat's song, and Hermione's memory was triggered. She forgot to talk to Harry about the song after the feast, but now she remembered it.

"I'm... not exactly following," said Hermione, wanting to know more.

"Well look at Hogwarts history. Slytherin fought the other founders and left. Slytherin students were always hated and excluded by the other houses. Every few hundred years you'll find a dark wizard, from Slytherin, seeking revenge on his rivals and probably having fanatical pureblood beliefs," Lupin began to explain. At the mention of Hogwarts history, her mind was triggered once again of her favourite book, '_Hogwarts, A History_'. Great, now she'd have to read it again, because what Lupin was telling her sounded quite interesting.

"Like the Black's," suggested Hermione.

"Yes, like the Black's - Sirius' parents were the worst. After that dark wizard is killed, all of Slytherin are stereotyped to be dark wizards, the cycle of discrimination, distrust and hate begins again. Like I said with Severus - James and Sirius bulled him for years, you know. I tried not to be apart of it, and that's why Severus dislikes me somewhat less. Other Slytherin's like Lucius Malfoy stuck up for him, and he started hanging out with their little Death Eater group at school. Of course, our latest dark wizard from Slytherin was Voldemort, and he sparked one of the biggest wars in wizarding history. His biggest supporters were not only pureblood fanatics, but Slytherin students recruited in Hogwarts, after years of schoolyard rivalry with other houses," finished Lupin.

"So now that Voldemort has come and gone, people are going to suspect another one like him from Slytherin?" asked Hermione for confirmation.

"Yes, and it's likely to happen too, isn't it? Slytherin students have the worst reputation now, their parents are in Azkaban, and to top it all off - they're going to be hated by the rest of the students even more for what's happened. Look at the Lucius Malfoy, when I was at Hogwarts he was much older than us, and he often helped Snape out. He hated James too, and he hated Sirius even more, because Sirius was part of the Black family, but he ended up in Gryffindor. Lucius leaves school, teaches his son that Gryffindor's are bad people, teaches him all the pureblood beliefs... years later, you have a generation of Slytherin students who have been taught the wrong things by their parents."

"How do you know all of this?" asked Hermione, after listening intently to what he was saying.

"It was Dumbledore who told me, years ago when we were in the Order. They were just ideas - Dumbledore had plenty of wild ideas on everything, but it turns out that he's never been wrong when it comes to Hogwarts. And besides, coming back to Hogwarts brings me back to my childhood - to how badly everyone treated Severus and his friends," said Lupin gloomily.

"Well at the rate we're going, Ron's kids will hate Slytherin's before they even get to Hogwarts," said Hermione bitterly as she began loading her plate with breakfast.

"Exactly. The other Slytherin's in your year will teach their kids the same thing. It's Hogwarts tradition, it's been happening throughout history since the founders split. _Know the perils, read the signs, the warning history shows_. Dumbledore always said it was a smart hat," said Lupin thoughtfully.

"After the song, I knew that it meant something more, but I didn't have time to think about it. You really are the best Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus," said Hermione with a smile. As she finished saying this, they heard footsteps coming from behind them and turned around to see Snape just walking into the Great Hall.

"Enjoying your breakfast at the Gryffindor table?" sneered Snape as he neared them.

"Good morning to you too, Severus-"

"How did the potion go last night? I hope you weren't in too much pain?" continued Snape. Hermione saw a brief flicker of anger in Lupin's eyes before he replied.

"If you don't want to make the potions for me, Severus, then don't," said Lupin firmly.

"I'll make them," said Snape bitterly, as he walked past them and headed for the staff table.

"Like I said, he's difficult," continued Lupin.

"He doesn't even try to be nice, though. He's always been like that," said Hermione, as she glared at the black billowing cloak moving away from them. How ignorant could you be, to ask a werewolf how much pain they were in the night before, next to one of his students? It was said on purpose just to embarrass Lupin. A typical, snide Slytherin move.

"Well, Gryffindor's weren't nice to him when he was your age either," said Lupin.

"What goes around comes around. Oh - it's a muggle saying," explained Hermione, as she realized that Lupin would never have heard the saying before.

"A good one too. Because by the looks of things, your Slytherin bullies are about to be bullied, just like things were back when I was at school-" said Lupin with a grim smile.

"I don't want it to be like that, though. It's not fair, I've been telling Harry and Ron but they won't listen," said Hermione quickly, hoping that she could get some advice from Lupin, since he was on the same page as her.

"Well that's the way things are, you can't make everyone be friends. It's like trying to make a lion and a snake fall in love - it's impossible. Ah, here comes Harry now," said Lupin with a smile, as Harry walked towards them with Neville. But Hermione paid no attention to anything else, as something in her brain clicked. Making the houses unite was like trying to '_make a lion and a snake fall in love - it's impossible_'. Well, the lion and the snake have already fallen in love, so it has to be possible. Well, almost in love. They haven't declared their love, but it's been building ever since he'd given her the apple in the cellar, months ago. If only all the other lions and snakes would start falling in love too, there would be no problem, Hermione thought to herself bitterly.

"Rough morning?" asked Lupin casually, as Harry sat down opposite them. He looked rather like Lupin, except he wasn't tired - he was annoyed.

"It's just Parkinson, she's taken the fireplace and won't move," said Harry with a sigh.

"She's allowed to," said Hermione with a shrug.

"It's not Slytherin's turn-"

"That only counts for night time, anyone can sit by the fireplace in the morning," said Hermione exasperatedly.

"No, not everyone, because the moment a Slytherin sits there, nobody else will. And I wanted to sit there to do the Transfiguration homework we've already gotten, and she-"

"Was there first," finished Hermione.

"Forget it, Hermione. I shouldn't have brought it up, you always side with them anyway," said Harry, without bothering to keep the anger out of his voice. There was an unspoken message hidden there, and she guessed that he was also mentioning Draco. She was reminded that he was the only one who'd seen them hug and get close at The Burrow.

"I'm not siding with anyone, I just want to make things fair-!" said Hermione in disagreement.

"She called you a mudblood last night, she called Ron's family poor this morning, and then she took the fireplace and refused to move. That's not fair. She's just trying to piss us off, and she does it on purpose," argued Harry, as he loaded his plate with food furiously.

"He's got a point Hermione," said Neville in agreement. Hermione sighed and turned to Lupin to see what he thought. He looked rather bewildered at how the combined common room was working out.

"Well don't look at me - I know how to get rid of a boggarts and trolls, not seventeen year old Slytherin girls," said Lupin jokingly.

"What are we doing for our first lesson, Remus?" asked Harry enthusiastically. Their first Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions lessons for the year were that day, and both classes were with Slytherin. There would be plenty more interaction to come, and Hermione wasn't exactly looking forward to it. Although, she was expecting some sort of reply from Draco, assuming that he'd read her note the night before.

* * *

**Author Notes:** Things are taking a different turn, and I'm going to try and spend time sorting this storyline out. I've got lots of different plots all jumbled up and don't know how to write them. School is starting this week for me as well, and I've got to get the best grades possible for the next two years... so my uploads may become infrequent. It just depends on how much homework and study I'm doing. It should be fine though. :)

Thanks again to everyone reviewing!

**Reader Questions:**

- What do you think of Lupin's character and observations on the Houses history?

- What else do you think the Sorting Hat's song could have meant? (There are plenty of things the song meant, and many of them will be incorporated in future plots that I'm planning. :D)

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	37. Chapter 37 Part Two

**~ PART TWO ~**

**of**

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**PLEASE READ!:**

YES, FINALLY, I've updated. I understand that it's been months since my last upload, and I understand that everyone is angry. xD To be honest, I lost interest in this fanfic ages ago and had ideas for other Dramione stories. And so I haven't had time to write anything due to school, study, exams, lack of interest and other real life stuff. But I know what it's like to be reading a good story which just stops being updated, and realizing that the author has given up. And I don't want my story to be like that - so I'm going to do my best to finish it. It's been months since I've written anything though, and I've been re-reading the last few chapters to remember the storyline and think of new plots.. so my writing style might seem different, and the story might be heading in a different direction than what it was months ago. As a result, I'm halving it into two parts. xD Part two starts here: our main characters have settled into Hogwarts, and it's time for a fresh start to the second half of the story which (hopefully) I'll be able to finish writing.

Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and favourited this story. Thank you to everyone who has sent me angry messages and reviews telling me to update as well - it all helps to motivate me to keep writing. xD

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 37**

After finishing the first two classes of the day, Hermione headed out to the grounds to take a break from all of the inter-house tension and arguments that were going on between her eighth year peers. It had only been a few days and already she was getting sick of listening to Ron and the rest of the Gryffindor's complain. She was also getting sick of listening to Pansy constantly start fights over the smallest and most petty things. In the past she usually went to the library to take a break from everything and study, but even the library had been loud and distracting in the first few days. So instead she had secluded herself to the grounds, where she could overlook the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's Hut, and think in peace.

"There you are!" came a voice from the courtyard behind her, and she turned to see Harry making his way over to her.

"Hey Harry," said Hermione quietly as she looked out over the grounds, deep in thought again.

"So, you excited to start your Transfiguration program next monday?" asked Harry, hoping to start a genuine conversation without the interference of any Slytherin's for once. He was definitely on Ron's side about hating the Slytherin's no matter how much Malfoy had helped them over the summer, and he was rather frustrated with the fact that Hermione was defending them. Despite this though, he was tired of seeing his two best friends fight, and he hoped it wouldn't escalate into anything worse like the Yule Ball in their fourth year. And so he had to focus on calming them down and preventing arguments between them. When it comes to Ron and Hermione though, that's easier said than done.

"Of course I'm excited, but I don't know.. with everything else going on, I don't really have time to think about teaching," said Hermione with a sigh.

"What do you mean? I know Ron is getting on your nerves, but he can't be that bad-" began Harry uncertainly.

"No not just Ron and the Slytherin's - I've been meaning to talk to you about the Sorting Hat's song. Remember at the feast when I said I wanted to tell you something?" asked Hermione, as she decided to share her thoughts. Harry was definitely her best friend at that moment. Ron was being a prejudiced git towards every Slytherin in school, and Hermione would never agree with him no matter how he tried to justify it. On the other hand, Harry had always been able to listen to what she had to say and help her even if he didn't fully agree.

"Yeah, I think it was just warning us about Death Eaters," said Harry with a careless shrug.

"Maybe, but before you came over at breakfast this morning Lupin told me heaps about Hogwart's and what the warning could have meant," said Hermione, and she proceeded to tell him everything Lupin had told her. About how the song may have been warning them about Hogwart's history, about the recurring consequences of what happens when the houses are continuously divided and taught to hate each other.

"_'Oh, know the perils, read the signs, the warning history shows,'_ and _'We must unite despite our differences, or we'll crumble from within.'_ Don't you see? The song was warning us about more than just Death Eaters, it was warning us about our own prejudices-" Hermione finished, hoping that Harry would agree with her and she'd finally have someone on her side.

"I dunno Hermione. It makes sense, and if Dumbledore and Lupin both believed it then I guess you could be right... but do you honestly think that anyone else will see it the way you do?" asked Harry. Hermione thought about it for a moment, and then sighed. No, nobody would see it the way she did. The Hufflepuff's and Gryffindor's would be too preoccupied with fighting and arguing to care, and even if they listened they wouldn't be capable of being friends with Slytherin's. The Slytherin's are too narrow-minded to listen to a muggleborn and would probably laugh at the mention of Dumbledore and Lupin - who are nothing but a dead old fool and a werewolf to them. Ron would hate her more for bringing it up, and probably accuse her of _'fraternizing with the enemy'_. Harry would acknowledge that she may be right, but do nothing about it because he is stuck between herself and Ron. Draco would laugh at the idea and tell her there was nothing she could do to change Hogwart's tradition. As she was contemplating all of this, Harry continued.

"And it would take a hell of a lot more than the Sorting Hat's song to convince a generation of students to suddenly forget thousands of years of Hogwart's tradition and befriend each other," he said with a scoff. Hermione sighed a second time before answering.

"I know, and this shouldn't even matter because like I said, I came here to finish my education in peace and not worry about fighting anymore. But with the majority of Gryffindor and Slytherin blindly hating each other, studying in peace isn't possible. Voldemort is dead, the war is over, I wish everyone would just move on," said Hermione irritably.

"We're only a few days into the year Hermione, and it's the first year we've been forced into one common room. Plus after what happened to Neville, Ginny and everyone else last year.. it's no surprise they're acting like this," said Harry, attempting to change her perspective on things.

"I get that, but why is Ron acting like such a prejudiced git-?" she continued stubbornly.

"Because the Slytherin's were the prejudiced gits first, and me and Ron are going to keep sticking up for you no matter what," said Harry firmly. There was a short pause as Hermione smiled slightly at that, even though she was still angry with how everyone kept fighting. It was an inevitability, and until she found some amazing way to change all their minds, there was really nothing she could do about it.

"Thanks Harry," Hermione said reluctantly.

"No problem. Speaking of Slytherin's, we've got Potions in about five minutes with them," said Harry grumpily.

"Oh good!" Hermione replied cheerfully.

"Good? Slytherin's and Snape in the same room is not good-"

"Well at least it'll be a small class-"

"We're the only two Gryffindor's in the class, and there's five Slytherin's," continued Harry, as he stood up and helped her up off the grass.

"Oh. Well, Snape is strict and he'll make sure no one argues," said Hermione, though she wasn't quite sure of it.

"Doubt it, he'll probably use this as his last opportunity to make our lives agony before we leave Hogwarts," said Harry bitterly, causing Hermione to laugh.

"He's not that bad. He was on Dumbledore's side all along, remember. Without Snape we would never have been able to beat Voldemort," said Hermione, as she was reminded of the night Voldemort died and Snape had shown his memories to Kingsley and the other Ministry officials. While most people were not allowed to see the memories, the Daily Prophet stated that his memories proved that he had been spying for Dumbledore, protecting Harry, and lying to Voldemort for seventeen years. The memories also showed that Dumbledore was already dying, and he'd asked Snape to kill him - so it wasn't murder, it was planned so that Draco wouldn't have to kill Dumbledore, and so that Voldemort would trust Snape completely.

"Yeah, I guess he isn't all bad. But that doesn't change the fact that he'll be an absolute git in Potions," said Harry, as they waded through the sea of students towards the dungeons for their first Potions lesson.

* * *

As predicted, the class was quite small. There were a total of nine students - Harry, Hermione, Ernie, Padma, Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Theodore Nott and Millicent Bulstrode. While Slytherin clearly dominated in numbers, there was still a student from every house which made them look like an interesting bunch standing outside the Potions classroom. Being the only two Gryffindor's in the class made Hermione feel proud of herself and Harry to make it, since Advanced Potions was possibly the most selective subject in the school - because of Snape and the difficulty of the course. Ernie Mackmillan was the only Hufflepuff and Padma Patil was the only Ravenclaw. Even though the five Slytherin's standing across the hallway from them looked rather intimidating, Hermione was hopeful that not much conflict would occur throughout the year - Draco had nothing against them, Snape was biased but not exactly cruel, and everyone was more mature now than they had ever been.

"I wonder what you had to do to get into this class, Pothead," came Pansy's arrogant and predictable comment. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Nothing, I got an Outstanding last year and here I am. Got a problem with that?" Harry retorted.

"Yeah, I've got a problem with the fact that you were Slughorn's little pet-" Pansy continued.

"Gosh do you ever give up?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.

"Shut up mudblood-" said Millicent.

"All of you be quiet!" Snape said coldly, causing a few of them to jump and turn to the open Potions doorway where he was standing. A few first and second years scurried past nervously, and some fourth year Slytherin's down the hall turned to watch the scene in amusement.

"Let me make myself clear - I don't give a damn what happens outside of my classroom, or what happened last year. While you're in my class, you will keep your mouths shut unless you're answering a question or casting a spell. Do you understand?" Snape continued venomously, glaring at each and every one of them. Everyone nodded, and the Slytherin's seemed rather annoyed at being treated as their peers' equals. After that, Snape turned and strode into the room and the students followed with the Slytherin's pushing and shoving their way in first. The room was organized with desks for three people - which was convenient in previous years because they had Ron with them to make the trio. This year, Harry and Hermione sat right at the front to ensure that Snape would notice if the Slytherin's tried talking to them. Ernie and Padma sat on the far left of the room together. Draco, Pansy and Blaise sat on the desk directly beside Hermione's and Harry's - which was no doubt Draco's idea just to get closer to her. And Theodore was forced to sit next to Millicent behind them, much to his dismay.

"I can already tell this is going to be the worst class ever," Harry muttered under his breath, after glancing around at the Slytherin's.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor. Don't seem to change much, do you Potter?" Snape sneered, reminding Harry of his very first Potions lesson. He went red with frustration and silently fumed at how unfair the situation was already. He felt like snapping back, '_Neither do you, you old git_' but he held his tongue instead and focused on ignoring Hermione's crestfallen expression at losing precious house points. There were a few sniggers from beside them, Pansy's the most noticeable, but Snape just happened to not notice.

"Now, what potions did Professor Slughorn teach you last year?" asked Snape, as he turned to face the class. Hermione's hand had shot in the air before he even finished the sentence.

"Potter, how about you?" continued Snape, ignoring the bushy-haired girl who looked crestfallen yet again.

"Um, the Draught of Living Death.. we studied Everlasting Elixirs but didn't get to make any-" began Harry uncertainly.

"So not much. Slughorn has a very safe approach to teaching - this year will be different. My Advanced Potions classes are much more practical and will require your full attention at all times. We have a double period today, so you will be making two potions, and at the end of the lesson we will be testing them on a volunteer," said Snape with a smirk. Hermione was bubbling with excitement beside Harry, who was feeling rather nervous about the situation.

"What potions sir? Are they dangerous?" asked Draco, who was leaning forward in his seat.

"Your potions will be the Draught of Living Death, and the Wiggenweld Potion. As you should already know, the Draught of Living Death will put the drinker into a death-like magical sleep, and the only cure for such sleep is the Wiggenweld Potion. You will have to decide amongst yourselves who the volunteer will be, whose Draught potion will be used, and whose Wiggenweld potion will be used," Snape announced, with the hint of a smile. Harry guessed that this was some sort of test he performed every year to see who was '_worthy_' of being in his Advanced Potions class.

"Sir, are you sure that this is safe? What if our potions are made incorrectly?" asked Hermione, sounding nervous.

"If your potions are incorrect that would be disastrous. However, I obviously have my own Wiggenweld Potions and other healing potions in-case of any emergencies, and Madam Pomfrey is very prepared after helping out in previous years," said Snape, confirming the fact that this was done every year.

"There'll be an emergency if Potter's potions are used," said Pansy, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"In-case you've forgotten Parkinson, my Draught was the best in the class last year-" Harry replied in annoyance.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin," said Snape, sounding bored.

"This is bullshit-" Harry snapped in anger, causing Pansy to laugh derisively.

"And another twenty from Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall has asked me not to hand out detentions in the first week of term, but ruining your houses chances of winning the House Cup is even more satisfying," said Snape with a smirk. Hermione looked about ready to burst, so she stomped on Harry's foot under the desk and glared at him to make him be quiet. When everyone had gone quiet, Snape continued talking.

"Now for a little history. It is said that a princess was given the Draught of Living Death and put into the deep sleep by a Hag named Leticia Somnolens. Afterwards, a prince who smeared Wiggenweld Potion on his lips kissed the princess - curing her and awakening her out of the sleep. The muggle fairy-tale, '_Sleeping Beauty_' was based on this story. You will be testing the authenticity of the tale, with the potions you brew. And then you will write a report on the experience, and the ingredients and effects of both Potions. Any questions?" asked Snape.

"Will we have to do the kissing part?" asked Draco, with a smirk as he glanced at Hermione, who blushed.

"Why are you going red Granger, nobody would want to kiss you anyway-" said Pansy, laughing hysterically when she noticed Hermione's blush. The situation was so ironic, and Hermione was incredibly tempted to reply with, '_Your boyfriend already has_', but she instead just sighed and rolled her eyes like she normally would.

"I'd kiss Hermione over you any day Parkinson," said Harry quickly.

"Yeah, I'm sure-" Pansy snorted, in obvious disbelief.

"I think our photos of the Yule Ball speak for themselves," said Hermione next with a careless shrug. Blaise and Draco roared with laughter as Pansy went red.

"Quiet!" shouted Snape, looking furious because he couldn't hand out any detentions.

"If I take away anymore points you'll all be on negative scores for the entire year. Instead, you're going to split into three groups - and yes, you _will_ be doing the kissing part. And you can't kiss anyone in your own house," said Snape, thinking on the spot to make the situation as uncomfortable for the students as punishment.

"That's not fair, we haven't done anything wrong!" said Ernie from the window with Padma.

"The groups will be as follows: Macmillan, Patil and Millicent are one. Draco, Blaise and Granger are two. Potter, Theodore and Pansy are three. All of you have to brew both potions, your time starts now, no more questions," said Snape, as he sat back down in his chair and smirked as he watched all of the devastated students look at their partners for the double period.

* * *

It was clear that some groups were going to have a harder time than others brewing the potions. When Hermione, Harry and Ron were a group they always had a system - one person would go and get three sets of the required ingredients, another person would begin setting up the cauldrons and equipment, and the third person would speed-read the textbook to figure out how to do it. This made everything much faster, although in their sixth year Harry usually just did things his own way thanks to the Half-Blood Prince book which gave him better instructions. When Hermione suggested this idea to Blaise and Draco, she got a typically negative response.

"Hey um - Malfoy - can you get all our ingredients while we start-?" began Hermione hesitantly when everyone began rushing around.

"I'm not about teamwork Granger I'm about getting the job done," was his immediate response as he walked to the ingredients cabinet. She rolled her eyes and turned to Blaise, who was smirking at her slightly.

"Hey um - Granger - can you get me my ingredients while you're there? I'll read the textbook and set up your cauldron," Blaise went on to say. It was obvious that he was mimicking her, but he also wasn't moving to get his own ingredients - so Hermione rolled her eyes and went to get both of their ingredients. When she returned after waiting in line behind Harry and Ernie - Draco had pushed in front instead of waiting - she saw that Draco and Blaise were already both starting their potions without her. And her cauldron wasn't set up or ready, and they were using her textbook.

"Why'd you get two sets of ingredients?" asked Draco curiously.

"Ugh, very funny. You guys are jerks-" said Hermione as she rolled her eyes and dumped the wasted ingredients on another bench.

"Oh sorry, I forgot - Draco and I usually have a system where we work together-" began Blaise with a sneaky grin.

"Can I please have my textbook?" demanded Hermione as she began setting her cauldron up as fast as possible.

"Can't you just set up your potion on this side of the bench? We have to share the book, we lost ours," said Draco in amusement.

"How could you lose your textbooks, we haven't even finished one week of school-"

"Please, please miss Granger!-" said Blaise in a first-year imitation, obviously making reference to the fact that she was going to become a teacher.

"Oh shut up," Hermione sighed, suddenly realizing how sarcastic and frustrating Blaise really was. In the corridors he wasn't a very confrontational person, and usually made side jokes about herself, Harry and Ron while Draco was the more confident and forward of the Slytherin's. It was also obvious from the Hogwarts train that he and Theodore Nott were like-minded, and believed that they hadn't done anything wrong last year. Despite the poor start to the lesson, Hermione moved her cauldron and ingredients over and stood beside Blaise in silence, and began her potion as she started reading the textbook.

"So Granger, are you excited? I mean, one of us has to kiss you - I would kiss Draco, but we can't kiss our own houses, Snape's rules-" Blaise began casually.

"I'm trying to concentrate," said Hermione bluntly, having no desire to talk to the strangely bizarre Slytherin boy standing beside her. She glanced over at Draco to see what he thought of the situation, and found him struggling not to laugh.

"Oh okay, that's fine. Do you usually need quiet to read? I noticed that Theo is the same..." Blaise went on, as though it was completely normal to talk non-stop to her and making it obvious that he was just trying to get on her nerves. It was going to be a long and irritating lesson, and she couldn't take her mind off the fact that she _would_ be kissing one of them before they left.

* * *

**Reader Questions:**

- Are you excited about the story being updated? :O

- Do you think I should update the story picture? (First time I've seen all these new features..)

- If you're willing, please review with a recap of the storyline so far from YOUR perspective and what you think could happen in the near future. :) The next chapter will continue on with this potions lesson, and include the other two groups too.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	38. Chapter 38

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 38**

Immediately after Snape had given them the instructions and told them to start, Theodore Nott raced to the ingredients cabinet with his textbook open to the relevant page, without saying a word to either of his partners. In a way, he reminded Harry of a male, Slytherin Hermione. He was almost exactly the same in terms of grades, bookwormishness and quiet nature, except he appeared to care about no-one else but himself.

"Potter, you can get mine," Pansy said immediately, as she leaned against the desk and curled a loose strand of her hair.

"You can get your own, actually-" said Harry firmly as he moved to walk away.

"If you don't get my ingredients I won't make the potion and you'll have to kiss Theo, and we both know you want to kiss me-" Pansy went on, lowering her voice seductively as she said it. This stopped him in his tracks, and he turned around and noticed her smiling at him deviously.

"I don't know what game you're playing Parkinson, but this isn't funny-" said Harry in frustration.

"It's not supposed to be funny, I just don't want to get the ingredients. Everyone pushes and shoves, it's faster when boys do it-" said Pansy innocently.

"I'm not getting your ingredients-" Harry said flatly.

"It's not hard-" Pansy argued.

"That's beside the point-"

"Well okay, fine," said Pansy dismissively. She simply shrugged, sat down at the desk and crossed her arms.

"Are you going to get yours?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Nope."

* * *

In the other group containing Ernie, Padma and Millicent, things were far more awkward. All three of them went to get their own ingredients, because Millicent refused to get anyone else's and didn't trust anyone else to get hers, Padma insisted on getting her own so that she could hand-pick good ingredients, and Ernie didn't want to ask either of the girls to get his so he did it himself. At the bench, Millicent went on the opposite side of the table and began working in silence, while Ernie and Padma worked side by side.

"So um, whose potion should we use do you think? And how are we going to go about the whole kissing thing-" began Ernie, in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Not mine, and not me. Shut up," said Millicent, whilst glaring at him. In truth Ernie had just wanted to establish the fact that he would be kissing Padma, and he would only be using Padma's potions because he did not trust nor like Millicent in any way shape or form. Now that this was out in the open, the three of them proceeded to making their potions in the same awkward silence.

* * *

"Oh Granger, yours is looking a little red! Doesn't the textbook clearly state it should be a purpley-black colour?" asked Blaise, as he glanced over her shoulder and into her cauldron.

"Yes, Zabini, it does. Do you mind?" Hermione snapped, shuffling away from him uncomfortably.

"Are you worried? Do you think Snape will be mad-?" Blaise continued persistently, causing Draco to chuckle as he stirred his potion.

"My god, you are one of the most annoying people I've ever met!" Hermione hissed, trying to hide the fact that she actually _was_ worried because this was the first potion she had ever had trouble with. And it was probably due to his constant distracting and pestering.

"It's okay. You can just drink mine instead if you'd like?" suggested Blaise harmlessly.

"I'm not drinking any potions, you guys are the ones drinking it," said Hermione firmly.

"Oh I see, so you want to be the prince in the scenario, I like a girl who takes control," said Blaise with a wink.

"What? No, I just don't trust either of your potions enough to-" began Hermione in exasperation.

"It's okay Granger, we're more than willing to be rescued by you," Draco played along.

* * *

"Thanks Potter!" said Pansy brightly as he dumped her ingredients in front of her.

"I didn't get them for you," Harry pointed out bitterly, as he began brewing his potion.

"Yes you did, at least that's what it looked like. I bet Granger saw, what do you think she'll say after the lesson? Do you think she thinks you like me now?" Pansy said rapidly, as she began chopping her ingredients up and chucking random things into the potion.

"I honestly don't care, and are you even looking at what you're putting in your potion-?" asked Harry in alarm as he watched her.

"You don't care what Granger thinks? I thought you were best friends?" asked Pansy curiously.

"That's not what I meant-" Harry snapped.

"I might tell her-" she continued.

"Just ignore her Potter, she tends to get like this when she's bored," said Theodore in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Just ignore him Potter, he tends to get like this when he's in nerd-mode," mimicked Pansy with a smirk, as she dropped a few more things into the potion. Harry watched her work, and read his textbook, double checking to see if she was screwing it up or not. Sure enough, she was getting the ingredients completely wrong.

"See something you like-?" asked Pansy, smirking when she noticed him watching her.

"You're doing the potion completely wrong-" stated Harry.

"Oh well, looks like I'll have to drink one of yours," said Pansy with a shrug. Harry stared at her in utter confusion, as he tried to figure out what the Slytherin motive was behind this new turn of events.

"That's her way of forcing you to be the one to kiss her, as a way of embarrassing you in front of the mudblood-" said Theodore, as if using the word mudblood was completely acceptable.

"Shut up," snapped Harry, glaring at the other guy in anger.

"That's his way of defending the mudblood's honor," Pansy mimicked a second time, with an evil chuckle. Harry found himself absolutely furious and with nothing to do about it, which Pansy no doubt found hilarious. He looked through his textbook at the ingredients, thinking of something that he could do to get back at them. Before Pansy could say another word, he grabbed two hand fulls of the wrong ingredients and dumped them into his and Theodore's potions. Thankfully Snape wasn't watching, and the result was priceless.

"Well, looks like no matter who's potion you drink, you're screwed either way-" said Harry, feeling surprisingly satisfied.

"You idiot, are you trying to get us killed?" screeched Pansy, causing the rest of the class to look over at them.

"We can't die, Snape is here to help - or don't you trust him?" asked Harry sarcastically.

"You'll be the one drinking the potion, this is your fault-" Pansy continued furiously.

"Are you scared of going to the Hospital Wing?" asked Harry, hoping to get on her nerves for once.

"Of course I'm not-"

"You sound like it-"

"Manipulation isn't your strong point Potter, you should give up trying to be me," said Pansy, in an attempt to regain control of the situation.

"Courage isn't your strong point Parkinson, you should give up trying to be me," mimicked Harry carelessly.

"I'm not a coward-"

"I beg to differ-"

"Fine! I will drink the potion no matter how ruined it is!" said Pansy defiantly, though by her expression she immediately regretted saying it.

* * *

Everyone watched the scene in surprise; Hermione, Draco and Blaise with particular interest. Hermione didn't exactly approve of the situation that Harry had created, because it was dangerous, against the rules, and against her nature to ruin two potions. But she was proud of the fact that he had found a way to get back at Pansy for once, since she'd been ruining all their moods since they'd arrived. When she returned to her potion she took a quick glance at the two Slytherin's beside her to see their reactions, and was surprised to notice that Draco looked furious. He walked towards the other bench, leaving his potion unattended. Blaise smirked as he quickly picked up Draco's stuff and continued brewing both their potions at once, which puzzled Hermione.

"What's he doing? Why are you smirking?" demanded Hermione.

"If one of us big bad Slytherin's forced you to drink a dangerous potion, what would Potter do?" said Blaise, making Hermione roll her eyes. He always took forever to explain something in a stupid way, rather than just tell her what was going on. But she got the point - if Draco had ruined their potions and forced Hermione to have to drink a dangerous potion, Harry would be walking over at them angrily too.

"Watch my potion?" she said quickly to Blaise, before hurrying over to the other groups bench.

"Oh of course, absolutely!" Blaise called after her, his smirk turning into an outright grin.

"You ruined the potions, you drink it-" Draco was saying to Harry when she arrived at the scene.

"Go back to your bench Malfoy, I'm not drinking anything," Harry answered effortlessly.

"Then Theo will drink it, and you can kiss him-" Draco continued.

"You sure about that? Nott, do you want to be kissed by me?" asked Harry, turning to Theodore who shook his head silently as he attempted to repair his potion.

"What? This is for Pansy, he'll do what I say-" said Draco firmly.

"Draco I'm not going out of my way for Pansy or you, I'm not part of this little Slytherin hierarchy anymore," said Theodore, sounding almost angry as he looked up from his potion and glared at the other Slytherin's. There was an awkward silence, and Draco looked beyond furious at that point. Hermione was both shocked and confused, as it was obvious that nothing like this had ever happened in their group. Snape arrived a moment later, which was just in time to prevent the situation from escalating.

"Why are you two here, and not brewing your potions?" the Potions Master demanded, looking pointedly at Draco and Hermione.

"Potter purposefully ruined his and Theo's potions, so now Pansy will get poisoned - or whatever happens - when she drinks one," answered Draco.

"And why can't Pansy drink her own potion?" asked Snape, sounding bored as he already knew the answer.

"She-"

"Ruined her own potion on purpose. I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. If Potter and Parkinson enjoy putting their lives at risk together, that isn't your problem Draco, so return to your bench-" Snape instructed bluntly.

"You have to let them make new potions-" Draco argued furiously.

"Have I ever let anyone make new potions in all my years of teaching?" Snape demanded.

"No, but-"

"No, and this year will be no different from any other year. Get back to your bench, immediately," Snape continued. Everyone watched in surprise as it was possibly one of the first times Snape and Draco had argued in Potions. Hermione knew that there was something much deeper between them, from everything that Draco had told her and the fact that Snape had offered to help him in his trial over the summer. Hermione began walking back to her own bench, and Draco reluctantly followed her. In a few moments, everyone had gone back to work.

"This is bullshit, we need to talk about Theo later," Draco muttered as he continued his potion.

"Got that right. You're up to step twelve by the way," said Blaise, pointing at the textbook. Hermione looked down at her potion, and noticed that it had changed colours and was creating a pinkish mist. She looked over at the textbook, trying to figure out what Blaise had done.

"Um, what step am I up to?" she asked curiously.

"Um, step seven if my calculations are correct-" Blaise mocked her.

"I asked you to watch my potion-!"

"I did watch it. I watched it heaps, while I worked on mine and Draco's-"

"You are such a jerk!" said Hermione, looking both devastated and hurt at the same time.

"It doesn't matter, you can just drink one of ours - plus everyone will be able to make the Wiggenweld Potion afterwards," said Draco, in an attempt to be neutral in the situation.

"Oh, so it doesn't matter if my potion is ruined but if it happens to a Slytherin then it's suddenly a big deal!" snapped Hermione, as she glared at him.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the way it's been since like, forever," said Blaise with a laugh, "where have you been all summer Granger?"

"Just because it was like this when we were little, doesn't mean it has to always be like this. But whatever," said Hermione, as she grabbed the only textbook they had and walked to the opposite side of the bench to prepare her second potion.

"Come on, we can still work together-" said Blaise, as he tried not to laugh.

"I don't like you, so I'm not working with you," said Hermione angrily.

"If we can't see the textbook, we can't finish our potions and you'll have to drink something just as bad as theirs," said Draco, nodding towards Harry's group.

"I won't be drinking anything, thanks to Zabini-"

"I thought you Gryffindor's were meant to be brave and courageous," accused Blaise in pretend shock.

"I thought you boys were meant to be brave and courageous," Hermione countered shyly.

"Oh she's got us there Draco, we better get our shining armour out," said Blaise as he burst out laughing. Both Slytherin's continued to laugh as Hermione rolled her eyes and continued working on her potion with a reluctant smile.

"Okay fine, I'll drink the potion if you share the textbook with us. I want to get it right so I don't die or anything," Blaise suggested casually. There was an awkward silence that followed, and Hermione realized that if she said yes then she would have to kiss Blaise. She hesitated and made eye contact with Draco for a moment, and Blaise looked between them in confusion.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"I'd prefer it if I was the one knocked out during the kissing process so I don't remember it - just try not to screw the potion up," said Hermione quickly, as she pushed the textbook over to them. Draco smiled in what almost looked like relief, but she couldn't be sure.

* * *

The end of the lesson came swiftly, and before Hermione knew it she was preparing to drink the potions. Her own Draught of Living Death was still creating a strange pinkish-purple mist and was pretty much ruined, and she suspected that Blaise probably put in the wrong ingredients because it was beyond fixing. Her Wiggenweld Potion was flawless, it glowed a deep crimson colour with specks of shiny ruby throughout - just as the textbook said it should. She looked over at the boys' potions wearily, trying to decide which Draught of Living Death was safer to drink. Then she remembered that neither of them were safe, because they were designed to put her into a never-ending magical sleep... but still. Blaise's was a smooth, purpley-black colour, which had an almost glassy surface as he'd stopped heating it. Hermione assumed he'd given up, because the potion was nowhere near finished. Draco was still working on his despite the fact that Snape told them to stop and begin drinking - she hoped he was doing it for her sake, or maybe he just wanted to have a better potion than anyone else. Either way, his was practically clear as water, which was exactly what it was supposed to look like. Their Wiggenweld Potions were nowhere near as good as hers though.

"Let's get one thing straight: you will be using my Wiggenweld Potion to heal me, understood?" said Hermione firmly.

"Oh one second let me write this down, I wouldn't want to forget-" Blaise began sarcastically.

"I'm being serious," Hermione continued, as she pushed her own potion over to them, and pulled their potions to the other end of the desk. Blaise watched her in amusement.

"Damn you've moved them away, guess I won't be able to use them-"

"Malfoy's Draught and my Wiggenweld are the only ones that look like what the textbook says-" said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Ah here comes the inner bookworm!" commented Blaise gleefully.

"I hate you," groaned Hermione.

"Let's watch the other groups drink first," said Draco, as he pointed over to Millicent's group where Snape was supervising. Padma drank her own Draught of Living Death, which was perfect, and as she slumped off her seat Ernie caught her and gently placed her on the ground.

"Aw!" Blaise said just loud enough for everyone to hear, causing Ernie to go red with embarrassment.

"Shut up," said Hermione in annoyance.

"Don't worry Granger, we'll catch you-"

"Stop talking," Hermione hissed. As she finished this sentence, Ernie proceeded to smear the Wiggenweld Potion on his lips and gently kiss Padma. Moments later she woke up groggily, wiped her eyes, answered a few of Snape's questions about how she felt, and they were finished. It was obvious that their potions were perfect, and nothing had gone wrong.

"Draco's group now," Snape announced, looking over at Pansy and Harry wearily. This made Hermione worry slightly about what to expect - would someone have to go to the Hospital Wing? But suddenly everyone was watching her expectantly, and so she filled up a flask with Draco's clear, deadly potion. Since she didn't trust Blaise whatsoever, and she knew that if Draco caught her it would be uncharacteristic of him, she laid down on the ground to drink the potion. As she took a deep breath and drank the tasteless, colourless potion, all went black.

* * *

From everyone else's perspective, Hermione simply passed out, her hand fell limply to her side and the flask rolled from her fingers onto the cold floor. Draco watched in nervous apprehension, as it looked like she had just drank poison and died - the idea made his stomach churn. She had only fallen asleep though, and he could tell because her chest continued to rise and fall very gently. A few moments later he suddenly realized that everyone was waiting for either himself or Blaise - who was laughing, as usual - to reawaken the Gryffindor girl.

"I'll do it," said Draco, trying to sound cold and reluctant.

"Good luck, don't catch a disease or anything," said Blaise with a snigger.

"What was that Zabini?" asked Harry angrily.

"Nothing Potter-"

"Tell me what you said, or are you just a pussy?" Harry continued.

"Enough," drawled Snape coldly. There was silence as Blaise, Millicent and Pansy all glared at Harry in mutual dislike. Theodore was indifferent as he inspected their ruined potions to find the safest one for Pansy to drink, though the attempt was futile. And Draco was ignoring everyone else as he smeared Hermione's Wiggenweld Potion onto his lips, which was warm and had a slightly bittersweet taste. Then he quickly touched his lips to hers, bearing in mind the fact that everyone was watching. Immediately afterwards he wiped his lips in a disgusted fashion, and as he stood up Hermione's eyes fluttered open. Snape asked her a few quick questions like whether she felt any pain, if she was tired, if she could hear and see properly, if she could move all her muscles, and more. She was all good, and he nodded and then walked over to the final group.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

I'll try and have the next chapter uploaded as fast as possible, because it is pretty much directly linked to this one and important stuff will happen in it :). My final year of high school starts next week as well, so I'll be heaps busy with schoolwork again. This means that I might end up having long periods of no updating (again -.-). But I'll just have to wait and see. Hope you liked the chapter. :)

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	39. Chapter 39

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 39**

Hermione had a bad feeling about Harry's group before they'd even began the whole drinking process. It was obvious from their potions that something would go wrong, because their potions were all sorts of bizarre green and yellow colours thanks to Harry's sabotage. Everyone crowded around the final group as they prepared, and Pansy was almost pale from nervousness as she looked at the three horrid potions on the bench in front of her.

"If you've got cold feet, I'll be more than happy to-" offered Harry, looking rather amused but also slightly concerned at the same time.

"Shut up, Potter," Pansy snapped, but her feisty attitude wasn't there and her voice shook slightly. Theodore pointed to the potion on the right, which was dark green, bubbly and emanating black fumes.

"That seems like the best of the three," he said, almost as if he'd calculated the safety of all three potions and come up with the idea. Snape nodded in agreement just a tiny bit before speaking.

"As you should know by now, this subject isn't just about brewing the perfect potion. It is also about identifying foreign potions, understanding how different ingredients react, and evaluating the danger of potions," said Snape, as he nodded in approval for them to continue. Pansy took a deep breath, and began filling up a small flask with the bubbly green potion anxiously. As she did this Harry smeared his lips with his own Wiggenweld Potion, which he'd brewed flawlessly thanks to the Half-Blood Prince book. There was an eerie silence as all eyes were on Pansy. Her pale hand shook as she raised the flask to her mouth, her eyes conveying how badly she wished she didn't have to drink it. After a moment or two however, she quickly tipped a tiny amount of the green liquid into her mouth and swallowed in disgust. Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. The flask fell and shattered to the ground, and she slumped directly into Harry's arms.

"_Tergeo_," said Snape, casting the spell to clean away the spare potion that was on the floor. As he did this, Pansy suddenly began to convulse in Harry's arms. In the heat of the moment and having no idea what else to do, Harry kissed her. The convulsions stopped immediately as the Wiggenweld Potion went to work. The entire room was deathly quiet from shock.

"Everyone go back to your benches and make room. Potter give her more Wiggenweld Potion - not yours, mine, _now_!" ordered Snape quickly.

"What just happened, what the hell is going on!" Draco demanded, his eyes fixed on the Slytherin girl who's breathing almost seemed to have stopped. Harry held Pansy up as Theodore ran to Snape's desk, filled a flask of Snape's Wiggenweld Potion and gently opened her mouth to pour it in. Once this was finished, Snape lifted her like she was a feather and headed for the door.

"Draco come with me to the Hospital Wing, nobody else move, and if I come back to find anyone with a wand out you'll be expelled without hesitation," were Snape's last words before he departed. Draco shot Harry a glare of pure and absolute hatred unlike Hermione had ever seen, before grabbing his bag and following Snape out. The chaos that ensued was typical of their year group: within seconds accusations were shouted and wands were drawn. Blaise and Millicent were furious with Harry, and Hermione supposed that they had good reason to be angry. But it wasn't entirely Harry's fault, obviously if Pansy hadn't provoked him nothing bad would have happened. She said this aloud to try and defend Harry, and Blaise threw it right back in her face.

"So provocation is an excuse to poison someone so severely they end up convulsing and in the Hospital Wing? What, did McGonagall suddenly change the school rules?" he asked snidely, surprising Hermione slightly. He always acted annoying and stupid, but he sure knew what he was talking about and he had a good point.

"No it isn't an excuse, but Pansy's actions contributed to her being poisoned just as much as Harry's. If she hadn't ruined her own potion, she would have been fine," argued Hermione.

"If Potter hadn't ruined his and Theo's potions, she would have been fine," Blaise countered.

"Exactly my point, they're both equally to blame for what happened," said Hermione in exasperation.

"Pansy is in the Hospital Wing and Potter's fine, there's nothing equal about the situation-"

"Just put the wand down Zabini, you heard Snape," said Ernie, in an attempt to restore order.

"Fuck off Macmillan," snapped Blaise crudely, but he lowered his wand before saying to Harry, "you're going to pay for this, I can guarantee it."

* * *

It didn't take long for half the school to find out what happened, and Hermione took Harry out onto the grounds to get away from the corridors and Slytherin's. They sat down on a hill near Hagrid's hut, and since it was lunch they wouldn't have to go to class for a while. After the final arguments before they left Potions, Harry hadn't spoken much and only just then Hermione realized that he looked rather upset about something.

"What's up? It wasn't your fault, you know that," said Hermione reassuringly.

"But it was," said Harry with a sigh.

"No, it wasn't. It was her fault, she shouldn't have ruined her own potion and she shouldn't have tried to get on your nerves. Everyone else will agree," said Hermione firmly, but this only seemed to make Harry feel worse.

"Everyone else will agree because everyone hates Slytherin and I'm famous, which isn't right. I'm beginning to think that what Lupin said was true," said Harry as he looked towards the Forbidden Forest gloomily. Hermione remembered the conversation she'd had with Lupin about Hogwart's tradition, and how Slytherin would probably be on the receiving end of bullying now that Voldemort was defeated. She understood where Harry was coming from, and perhaps it was unfair if they blamed Pansy for being poisoned.

"Of course what Lupin said was true, and of course it wasn't all Pansy's fault, it was both of you," said Hermione uncertainly.

"But it was ultimately my actions that caused her to be poisoned-"

"Harry, you're being too hard on yourself! And besides, I thought you wanted revenge just like Ron and the rest of them?" said Hermione, sounding rather bewildered.

"Of course I do, but not like that," said Harry in frustration.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione curiously.

"I mean she didn't deserve it, Malfoy deserves it-"

"He doesn't!" Hermione disagreed.

"As much as you like him, and as much as he helped us, he has done worst things to us than Parkinson has," said Harry firmly, though he knew that Hermione would just disagree with him anyway.

"How about none of them deserve punishment, how about Voldemort is dead and the war is over and we should move on-" Hermione ranted furiously.

"Slim chance of moving on now, after what I just did," said Harry. Before Hermione could answer, they heard footsteps coming from behind them and turned around to see Ron as he sat down beside them, with a grin on his face.

"Bloody brilliant! How'd you do it?" Ron immediately asked, but he stopped when he noticed Hermione's disapproving expression.

"I didn't mean it to get this serious. She ruined her own potion and was being annoying as usual, so I ruined mine and Nott's," explained Harry shortly, not wanting to go into details. Ron still looked confused though, since he didn't do Potions and had no idea what the lesson involved.

"Them three were in a group, and one person had to drink a potion as part of the lesson," Hermione filled in quickly.

"Well that's dumb, I've always said Snape was a git. But why are you angry, she deserved it," continued Ron ignorantly.

"You weren't there Ron, it wasn't funny. It was like when you were poisoned in sixth year and I used the bezoar to save you, she was convulsing on the ground in the same way and Merlin knows what happened to her," said Harry as he stood up and started walking away from them. Ron and Hermione hurried after him, and thankfully Ron had gotten the message and was being a little more sensitive about it.

"Well what's done is done, Snape and Madam Pomfrey are geniuses so Parkinson'll be fine, we live happily ever after," Ron began.

"No, because Zabini and Malfoy want revenge," said Harry wearily.

"And what are they gonna do to us, when we have all of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff behind us? Screw those gits. It was an accident," said Ron reassuringly.

"It wasn't an accident, I ruined the potions on purpose!" Harry argued.

"But you didn't intend to put anyone's life in danger, that's what makes it an accident," said Ron firmly.

* * *

In the Hospital Wing Pansy was lying down on the bed unconscious. Her expression was calm though, and Draco watched intently from her bedside as her chest rose and fell delicately. All the memories from their first year flooded through his mind, and he was yet again reminded of how important she was to him. She had always been his best friend, the one person he could confide in, the one person he could always rely on, and the first girl he'd ever loved. In his eyes, Pansy Parkinson was truly one of a kind. Yet here she was, unconscious in a hospital bed with an unknown illness because of Potter. Draco glanced over at Snape and Pomfrey who were whispering to each other, holding up different healing potions and deciding what to do. They had already cast a spell on her and tipped a potion into her mouth the moment she arrived into the Hospital Wing, and that helped relax her body, but she was still pale and unconscious, and didn't appear healthy at all.

"How is she? Have they done anything?" asked Blaise suddenly, causing Draco to turn in surprise and realize that the Hospital Wing door was left open. Theodore was also there.

"Yeah, they gave her a potion and did some spell. Now they're just talking," muttered Draco.

"Potter's fucked for this," said Blaise, looking at Draco expectantly. It was usually Draco who initiated some sort of revenge scheme on the Golden Trio in their earlier years, and the rest of the Slytherin's just followed him. When he didn't reply, Blaise continued.

"Draco-"

"I know," snapped Draco, not looking away from Pansy.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. It can't be obvious, no-one can find out. Something related to Quidditch," said Draco quietly.

"Quidditch never works, don't you remember what happened when we dressed up as Dementor's?" said Blaise in annoyance.

"That was just a joke, this isn't a joke. He put Pansy in the Hospital Wing, I'm putting him in here. Whatever happens to her will happen to him, only worse," said Draco vehemently.

"And if she dies?" asked Blaise worriedly, glancing at the pale complexion of her face.

"She won't," said Draco firmly.

"And what about you? You with us or not?" demanded Blaise, turning to Theodore.

"I'll help get revenge, for Pansy's sake. But as I previously said, I'm not your little sheep anymore," stated Theodore.

"You were never a sheep, we all stuck together because we were friends," Draco snapped in annoyance.

"You didn't care about friendship, all you've ever been is a spoiled brat who used people to get what you wanted. Vincent and Greg were never your friends, they were your henchmen. It's thanks to you that every other house hates us, it's thanks to you Pansy is on that bed-" Theodore was saying furiously, but before he finished the sentence Draco had punched him square in the jaw, much to everyone's surprise. Before Theo could react Blaise had stood in the middle of them, hands outstretched.

"This your new bodyguard?" asked Theo sarcastically as he held his jaw.

"I'll accept everything you said, but don't ever blame me for what happened to Pansy," said Draco fiercely.

"Who's to blame then?" Theodore scoffed.

"Potter, you idiot!" shouted Draco.

"Do you think Potter would have done that to any other house? Has Potter _ever_ done _anything_ to a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? No, because he hates Slytherin, because he hates you-" accused Theodore angrily.

"Because he's the Boy-Who-Fucking-Lived and his entire purpose for living was to kill You-Know-Who, it had nothing to do with me being a twelve year old bully!" shouted Draco furiously.

"Guys calm down," said Blaise firmly, pushing them apart a bit.

"It had everything to do with you being a bully!"

"You were just like the rest of us anyway, you hypocrite!"

"That's because at a young age you follow the house you're in, but I've had enough of your shit now," said Theodore, with a hint of finality in his tone. It was only then that the students realized that Snape and Pomfrey were watching them in shock. With that Theodore stormed out of the room, leaving the rest of them in silence.

* * *

Next lesson was Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherin's. After the morning events in Potions tensions were running high in both houses and Hermione was rather anxious to see how things would play out. Lupin must have already heard about what happened, because he was waiting outside his classroom wearily when the Gryffindor's arrived first. Theodore was the first Slytherin to arrive, and everyone noticed the slight swelling and bruising around his jaw but he didn't say anything so nobody commented. At last the rest of the Slytherin's arrived, glaring pointedly at Harry.

"I know what happened this morning, and let me get one thing clear: what happens outside my classroom, stays outside my classroom. I hear one word, one whisper relating to what happened, you will get an immediate detention," began Lupin bluntly.

"McGonagall said Snape couldn't hand out detentions," said Blaise.

"And I'm not Snape, Mr Zabini. All Slytherin's sit on the left of the room, Gryffindor's sit on the right. Don't talk, don't even look at each other until I'm confident you can cooperate, understood?" asked Lupin, and everyone nodded. As they walked into the room, Draco reluctantly moved towards Theodore.

"Pomfrey says to go to the Hospital Wing," he said, pointing at his jaw.

"Fuck you," was Theodore's instant reply.

"Suit yourself," Draco snapped, sitting down with Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle in their own row of seats. Theodore sat by himself at the back, and Hermione sat with Harry, Ron and Neville, after watching the little encounter between the Slytherin's. She was dying to find out what was going on between Draco and Theodore Nott, and whether Pansy was alright, and whether they were going to get revenge on Harry or not. There was quite a few unanswered questions, but Lupin started the lesson immediately and gave them no chance to dwell on the past.

"I think the best start to Defence Against the Dark Arts, especially at your age, is facing boggarts," said Lupin with a grin. Some people groaned, and others looked rather excited at the idea.

"It's been what, three or four years since you last had me and we did boggarts? I want you all to remember what your boggart was, what your greatest fear was, and now think to see if it has changed. At the age of thirteen your fears are quite simple and typical: spiders, snakes, monsters-" Lupin was saying.

"Dementor's," said Draco, with a slight smirk. Unfortunately it was just loud enough for everyone to hear, and Hermione gave him an angry glare.

"Point proven," muttered Theodore from behind them.

"And Dementor's, since some people's memories are so horrific, the prospect of reliving such memories are their greatest fear," said Lupin, as though what Draco said was a genuine idea and not an insult to Harry.

"Can anyone remember the spell used to combat a boggart?" asked Lupin, though before he had finished the sentence Hermione's hand was in the air. He smiled and nodded towards her.

"The spell is a charm and the incantation is '_Riddikulus_', however the incantation and wand movement alone won't affect the boggart. In order for the charm to have any effect, the person must concentrate on changing their fear into something amusing or different," said Hermione rapidly.

"Very good Hermione. And can a boggart ever be killed or truly defeated?" Lupin continued, hoping to get an answer from someone else. Only Hermione raised her hand though, so he nodded to her again.

"No, boggarts can never be killed or truly defeated because they are amortal beings, meaning that they have never died, cannot die and were never alive to begin with, a state of non-being. Using the _Riddikulus_ charm only temporarily confounds them," said Hermione, causing a few Slytherin's to roll their eyes at her.

"Brilliant explanation! And that pretty much sums up boggarts, they are peculiar creatures that are not exactly a threat, but we must still know how to defend ourselves against them. In the wardrobe at the back of the room is a boggart, and we will be taking turns to face it. So can everyone please move the desks and chairs to the sides of the room, and we can begin," ordered Lupin, gesturing towards the large wardrobe that nobody had actually paid any attention to. Everyone got up and began moving the desks and chairs, and once that was complete, stood around the wardrobe hesitantly.

"Wands out, and form a line in Slytherin-Gryffindor order behind me," Lupin instructed, causing the students to groan as they went in that order. People who went straight to the front included Harry, Ron, Neville, Theodore, Crabbe and Goyle, who all looked fairly confident. Hermione followed Draco and Blaise to the very back and placed herself between them, determined to get answers. After glancing at Draco and noticing how pale he was, she was suddenly worried about what his boggart would become. Would it be Voldemort, or something he'd never told her about?

"I will begin to demonstrate. As you all now know I am a werewolf, so the boggart should change into a moon," said Lupin, as though this were normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone watched in excitement as he pointed his wand at the wardrobe and cast a silent spell to unlock it. Out of the wardrobe came the black swirling figure that was the shapeless boggart, and then it suddenly whirled and changed, constantly shape-shifting into new blurs. At last it stopped and to everyone's shock, there lay Tonks with a baby in her arms, both pale and dead. There was a deathly silence as Lupin stiffened. There was nothing amusing about what they were seeing, and Hermione knew that you couldn't change it into anything amusing either.

"_Riddikulus_!" shouted Lupin, and the result was priceless. Tonks awoke with a smile and said, "April fools!" and the baby was laughing delightedly, before the boggart warped back to blackness and was sent smashing back into the wardrobe with considerable force. Everyone in the class cheered and clapped at that and the previous tension was lifted.

"Well, that was unexpected. Now imagine if I wasn't a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I would have been a mess!" said Lupin with a smile, although it was half-hearted and he did indeed look a bit shaken up. Next up was Goyle, who was grinning slightly as if he knew what his was already. The boggart came out and changed into an empty plate with no food, and Goyle waved his wand and changed it into a gigantic plate with all of the nicest desserts imaginable, causing everyone to laugh. Ron's was a huge spider again, like in their third year. Crabbe's was the sight of himself falling, and he changed it so that he fell onto a broom in midair and shot away. Hermione was surprised by their imagination, and the fact that Crabbe was afraid of heights yet he still played Quidditch. Harry's was inevitably a dementor, and he used _Expecto Patronum_ to force it back into the wardrobe which caused everyone but the Slytherin's to cheer and clap. Neville's fear wasn't Snape anymore, it was Hogwart's on fire, and he waved his wand to change the fire into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes fireworks, causing everyone - including the Slytherin's this time - to cheer and clap. Down the line it kept going, with everyone succeeding. In Parvati's third year it had been a giant bandaged mummy, however this time the boggart changed into the lifeless body of her twin sister, Padma. She dropped her wand and burst into tears, shocked and unable to look away from the nightmarish vision she was seeing. The lesson had to be temporarily stopped and Parvati taken to the Hospital Wing to get a calming potion.

"As you can see, as you grow up your fears may change and mature. Instead of being afraid of Egyptian mummies, Parvati's greatest fear changed to that of losing her twin. Due to the Wizarding War, my own fear changed to losing my wife and child. I might add, if the boggart changes into a dead person and you cannot think of anything amusing, which is understandable, simply step back and let the next person have their turn," said Lupin, before continuing the lesson. It gradually got closer and closer to Blaise, Hermione and Draco, who were the final three in that order. For Blaise the boggart turned into the Slytherin banner in the Great Hall in flames, and he was so shocked that he used _Aquamenti_ to put the fire out without realizing it was fake, causing the water to simply go through the image. Then he used _Riddikulus_ to get rid of the fire and restore the banner. Hermione was surprised at how important his house must have been to him, but before she could dwell on that, it was her turn. She stepped forward nervously, and watched as the boggart warped and changed almost immediately into herself lying on the ground in Malfoy Manor with the words "_mudblood_" cut into her forearms, and Bellatrix Lestrange standing above her, wand at the ready. Lupin jumped in front of her and caused it to change to Tonks and his baby again, before shouting _Riddikulus_ to send it flying back into the wardrobe. There was a shocked silence as Hermione took a deep breath and shakily put her wand away. She turned and glanced at Draco, who looked even more pale than before, as she walked over to Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindor's.

"Hermione, can I have a word with you after the lesson please?" asked Lupin in concern, and Hermione nodded.

"And now for our last one!" announced Lupin to divert the attention away from Hermione, and he nodded to Draco as he unlocked the wardrobe again. The boggart wafted out slowly and seemed to take forever as it transformed from various indescribable shapes, and nobody knew what was taking so long - and Hermione noticed Draco's wand-hand beginning to shake. She didn't know whether he was nervous because he knew what was coming, or because he _didn't_ know what was coming. Suddenly the boggart stopped on the same scenario that Hermione herself had feared only a minute previously, except the Hermione on the ground was screaming in pain from what could only have been the Cruciatus curse.

"_Expulso_!" Draco shouted immediately, and the explosion spell shot through the image of the boggart and blasted the wardrobe behind it into thousands of pieces. A shockwave went through the room from the impact, knocking some people backwards into each other; and the boggart vanished in a puff of black smoke. Tiny pieces of broken wood fell to the ground all around the classroom as the students were left in a stunned silence.

"Where did the boggart go?" asked Hermione curiously, to break the silence.

"To another hiding place, because its wardrobe is gone. Destroying its hiding place is a last resort for those who are desperate. I would like you to stay after class as well, Mr Malfoy," said Lupin sternly.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

I know I'm a massive git and I never upload - I know! But I've been focused on school all year and that will only get worst next year, unfortunately. I can't guarantee frequent uploads anymore, but I'm going to do my best to write these holidays and get more chapters done. This story is still AGES from being finished, and I'm not giving up on it anytime soon so don't worry. Things might just be a bit slow :). I'm thinking of re-reading and editing all my past chapters too, since some of them are rather poorly written and could do with some changes.

PS: I'm thinking of writing some one-shots or short stories in the future. Let me know if you have any ideas that you'd like written!

I'm planning a Harry Potter movie marathon soon too (all 8 movies). I might write something to do with that, maybe a review of each movie and then upload it as a story. Not sure. :)

**Reader Questions:**

- Let me know what you think of the story so far! Do you like where the plotline is heading, do you like the characters?

- What do you want to happen in the future?

**MERRY CHRISTMAS !**

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	40. Chapter 40

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for taking ages yet again, here it is though! Chapter 41 will come faster, I can promise you that. And to Sofia and her friend, I won't find out the results of the writing competition until the 15th of May (it's an all-schools Australian competition with thousands of applicants, so takes a while). And to everyone else who reviewed without an account, I can't send you any messages! So please register and make accounts and review again so I can reply. Because I do read every single review, and usually feel the urge to send a reply message but can't because you don't have accounts :D. So yeah. If you want a response, review with an account.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 40**

As the rest of the class filed out of the room Draco and Hermione were getting quite a few peculiar looks, and Draco couldn't help but mentally scold himself for what had happened. He should have just told Lupin to skip his turn and not let the boggart show his fear. The problem was though, he had no idea what it was going to become. He thought perhaps Voldemort, or maybe Azkaban, but at the same time he had an inkling that it could be related to the muggle-born girl he'd become so recently infatuated with. It would be close to impossible to lie his way out of what his boggart had shown. The only positive thing he could think of was the fact that Pansy hadn't seen it, but he'd have time to worry about her later. For the moment he had to deal with Lupin, who looked completely flabbergasted.

"I'm still trying to process what I just saw. These fears of yours, tell me about them," Lupin said curiously.

"I don't have time for a heartfelt chat, but thanks for the offer," said Draco sarcastically, turning for the door and hoping that he'd be able to leave.

"I wasn't asking, Mr Malfoy. This is part of my lesson," said Lupin firmly.

"Well your lesson's over, isn't it?" said Draco snidely as he turned back around.

"Then we can proceed in detention time, if that suits you better?" countered Lupin. Draco dropped his bag in frustration and stayed where he was, deciding to just get it over with. There was an awkward silence and Hermione knew that Draco wouldn't speak, reminding her of his traditional immaturity and inability to show his weaknesses. So she took a deep breath and began.

"Well, when I was at Malfoy Manor Bellatrix tortured me. I never want to experience that again," said Hermione simply.

"That doesn't explain why Malfoy feared the same thing, unless you fear specifically Bellatrix?" asked Lupin.

"I'm not afraid of Bellatrix, I hate her," spat Draco furiously.

"Then what was it? You fear seeing Hermione in pain? I know you helped the Order for a while and you may have matured somewhat, but I'm sorry, that still seems incredibly uncharacteristic of you," said Lupin with a bewildered expression. Draco hesitated slightly, not knowing what to say.

"I guess we just both fear the memory of being there," said Hermione quickly.

"That's not how it works. Fear and memory are separate, if you feared that memory the boggart would change into a dementor like it does for Harry, not the image of you being tortured. The main difference is in Hermione's fear, you had '_mudblood_' cut into your arms. You don't just fear Bellatrix, you also fear being labelled and treated as such. In Malfoy's fear you were screaming, so he fears, in essence, the idea of you being in pain. It is also possible to fear someone you hate, and so his boggart may also be purely Bellatrix-"

"I've had enough of listening to you act like some sort of psychologist, you don't know anything about me," Draco fumed, as he grabbed his bag and started for the door again.

"Psychology is a muggle profession, how do you know what that is?" asked Lupin curiously, not bothering to threaten him with detentions anymore because it just didn't work.

"I read it in a book," sneered Draco, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Hermione must have told you about it, and so you're both keeping something from me," Lupin mused.

"Does it matter? If we were it wouldn't be any of your business, would it?" snapped Draco.

"My students are my business, and if this secret you two have is affecting the education of the cohort, I have every right to inquire-"

"If it's a secret than it's not affecting anyone!" said Draco in exasperation.

"Every student in my Defence Against the Dark Arts class saw Hermione lying on the ground being tortured by a well-known psychotic Death Eater, not just from her boggart, but from yours. And your entire year group will know about it by tonight, because that's how Hogwarts works," continued Lupin sternly. There was a long silence as it became clear that Lupin wanted some sort of explanation and truth, and it also became clear that Draco was definitely not going to give it. Hermione rolled her eyes at him as she took a deep breath and thought carefully about how to answer.

"Voldemort had us captive in Malfoy Manor, and we escaped together. From that moment forth we... saw past our prejudices and became friends," she said simply, which was essentially the truth but with a vast majority of information left out. Draco didn't say a word while she spoke but looked rather crestfallen, and Lupin figured that it meant she was telling the truth. He was truly surprised as they were the most unlikely pair of individuals he had ever met to see past their inherent differences. The situation reminded him of Snape and Lily, and he was rather intrigued.

"Great, are we done here?" said Draco in an attempt to break the silence which ensued.

"Who else knows about this '_friendship_' of yours?" asked Lupin curiously.

"Most of the Order knows we tolerated each other over the summer holidays, not to the real extent though. Only you and Harry. Ron and Ginny had an inkling over the summer," said Hermione.

"And Snape knows," said Draco bitterly, reminding Hermione that it was Snape who had caught them almost kiss at the Burrow as well. Lupin knew that he would have to have a word with Snape about it. It was a strange coincidence and Snape must have been just as confounded by it as he was.

"Well then you're not finished here, because I'm assuming you're going to need some sort of story to cover this up," said Lupin.

* * *

The next lesson Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindor's were with the Hufflepuff's for Transfiguration. Word had already spread over what had happened in Potions and outside the Transfiguration room the entire group had obtained the opinion that she 'deserved' it for ruining her own potion, and simply because she was Slytherin. It meant that Harry was safe from being attacked over it; however he still couldn't rid himself of the guilt. If anything, the support from everyone else intensified the guilt he felt for what he'd done to a girl who, despite being blatantly mean and frustratingly annoying, didn't deserve what had happened to her. Professor McGonagall's presence created an immediate silence for the majority of the lesson, but that didn't stop Ron from talking.

"What d'you think Lupin and them are talking about? What the hell was Malfoy's boggart too, why was Hermione in it?" Ron rambled, glancing at the entrance to the classroom every few seconds as though someone would come in to give him the answers.

"I dunno, it was probably just his fear of Bellatrix or something," said Harry quietly, still contemplating his actions.

"Maybe. I don't like that Hermione was in it though. He's probably going to want revenge, you know that right?" Ron continued skeptically.

"I know," said Harry.

"So we need to think of a plan-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," snapped Harry.

"What d'you mean? We've got Quidditch coming up, you know the git will try something then," Ron insisted.

"To be honest I'd feel safer on a broom than on the ground if he was plotting something anyway, so let him try," said Harry with a shrug.

"Got that right, he can't fly straight if his life depended on it-" Ron was saying in amusement, but the slam of a textbook on their table caused them to both jump in fright and turn to look behind them.

"As much as I love hearing about the Slytherin house lose in Quidditch, if I hear one more word about the sport from either of you in my class again I'll give you double the homework you already have. Perhaps then you'll actually achieve higher than a mere '_Acceptable_'," said Professor McGonagall sternly, eliciting some quiet laughter from the rest of the class as Ron's ears went red. Both students muttered grudging, '_sorry professor..._'s as she moved back to the front of the class and resumed the lesson. They were mostly revising topics from last year, which was technically their sixth year, to trigger their memories before moving onto seventh year work. As the lesson ended and people began packing their things and filing out, Professor Snape strode in with a bitter expression.

"Potter, stay. Weasley go," he said firmly. A few heads turned in surprise and Ron looked reluctant to leave, but eventually they were all gone and Harry was left alone with the two teachers who had been murmuring quietly together. He knew it was about Pansy.

"Tell me you didn't intend for miss Parkinson to be in the Hospital Wing, Mr Potter," began Professor McGonagall with a sigh.

"I didn't, I was just angry and I ruined some potions to get back at her for something. I had no idea that this would happen," Harry said quickly, and honestly.

"But it did happen, and if she doesn't improve within the next forty-eight hours she'll be in St. Mungo's. If a Slytherin student had done this to a Gryffindor student they would already be packing their bags and be on the first train home. You and Albus have been protecting him - and all of Gryffindor, for that matter - since he set foot in this castle and this is the last straw Minerva, this absolutely warrants punishment," said Snape, his voice almost shaking because he was so angry.

"I understand Severus, and I intend to run this school from a neutral perspective. From the moment miss Parkinson is able to return to class, she and Mr Potter will have one weeks' worth of detentions together, and after that Harry will continue for another week of detentions by himself. I'll decide if more punishment is required after that," said Professor McGonagall after a long think. Harry felt slightly crestfallen, but having a few weeks worth of detentions was nothing new to him. He could deal with that.

"You're going to force a sick girl who will already have missed enough classes, to do a week of detentions for something that he inflicted upon her?" spat Snape, his black eyes consumed with fury.

"For something that she partly inflicted upon herself, you and I both know that. Potter gets double the punishment, and all of their detentions will be with you. That is final," snapped Professor McGonagall, as she turned and walked out of the classroom without another word. There was an awkward silence as Harry began packing his bag hurriedly.

"She's in a temporary magically-induced coma while her body fights the poison from the potion. If she doesn't wake up and show signs of improvement within the next forty-eight hours, she'll have to go to St. Mungo's and you will be doing far more than two weeks, I can guarantee that," said Snape, without looking at Harry as he strode out of the room.

* * *

Hermione and Draco left the Defence Against the Potions class without having thought of any cover-up story at all. One of Lupin's younger classes had come in for their lesson which forced them to leave, and there really wasn't any way to cover up what everyone else had seen anyway, no matter how much they thought about it. All they could do was lie. The only thing Draco could think to do was to simply deny that it was Hermione and continuously say that it was his mother on the ground being tortured by Bellatrix. Perhaps if he kept saying this, eventually it would be believed. He _was_ a good enough liar, after all. As the two of them neared the Eighth Year dormitory to get their books out for the lesson which they were currently late for, the short bushy-haired Gryffindor stood in front of the door and blocked the way.

"Are you going to get back at Harry?" she asked.

"Yes," said Draco after a short pause. He decided he simply wasn't going to lie to her.

"Why?" Hermione demanded.

"Because he hurt one of my friends and I'm going to do what I always did. I'm not going to let my relationship with you make me go soft," said Draco firmly. He knew the words would make her furious, but they were the honest truth. His friend didn't deserve what happened to her, he'd always hated Harry, and he was doing what he thought was right.

"Go _soft_? That's what you're worried about, looking tough to your friends?" asked Hermione incredulously.

"No, I'm worried about my best friend who's in the Hospital Wing and won't wake up. How would you feel if Crabbe or Goyle did this to Harry, or Ginny or someone else you've known since you were a kid?" asked Draco, attempting to make her understand where he was coming from.

"I would feel angry, maybe I would want revenge, but I would have the self-control and decency not to act on it and to do the right thing," snapped Hermione.

"Well I'm not a decent person and I protect my own," said Draco in annoyance.

"You _are_ a decent person. I can't believe you're saying these things, we went through this months ago," said Hermione angrily. There was a pause as they briefly reminisced on all of the similar situations that they'd experienced whilst at the Burrow and hunting for horcruxes.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter, I can't simply do nothing. And knowing McGonagall, he probably won't even get into trouble for it," Draco continued bitterly.

"He _will_ get into trouble, Professor McGonagall said she was running the school neutrally this year," argued Hermione.

"Which is a load of crap, she's always favoured Gryffindor-"

"Just like Snape has always favoured Slytherin. What are you trying to prove with all this?" asked Hermione in exasperation.

"I'm not trying to prove anything, Potter is the one who caused all of this shit, not me!" Draco nearly shouted. Thankfully students were in class and nobody was around to hear them arguing.

"Well he's my friend and I'm always going to support him and protect him," said Hermione fiercely.

"And that's exactly what I'm doing for my friends. Just because it's Pansy, doesn't mean she's any less important," snapped Draco.

"I didn't say that, I'm saying you don't have to get revenge! You could be _expelled_," said Hermione.

"If Potter doesn't get expelled for what he did, I won't get expelled either," said Draco calmly. There was another brief pause as Hermione shook her head and contemplated what to say next.

"So you don't even care anymore? You're just going to revert back to doing what you always used to do?" she asked.

"Of course I care! Merlin Granger this is just one little thing, we're only a week into the school year. I hate Potter, not you-"

"He's my best friend, if you hate him you indirectly hate me-"

"You hate Pansy and she's my best friend, I don't hold that against you," said Draco in frustration.

"I don't hate anyone, hate is never the answer-"

"It's an emotion just like happiness, everyone feels it regardless of whether they want to or not-"

"Oh my god, you make me so angry!" hissed Hermione, causing Draco to smirk and reluctantly try not to laugh.

"Don't laugh! This isn't funny," Hermione continued irritably.

"Just relax. By getting revenge it'll probably just be me telling Crabbe to hit a bludger at Potter in Quidditch. Same old harmless rivalry, nobody will be surprised," said Draco with a shrug.

"Harmless?" Hermione snorted, "there is nothing _harmless_ about a cannon-ball sized rock colliding with a human skull."

"I'm sure he'll take care of himself. Now, thanks to you blocking me from getting my books and going to class, like the bully that you are, I've missed out on Charms," said Draco with a dramatic sigh. Hermione smiled briefly, despite the fact that they'd just been arguing and that she was still adamantly against what he was doing. She still couldn't get over how differently his mind worked and how differently he saw things in comparison to her – which was probably yet another quality which made him all the more intriguing. There was a lengthy pause in which they both momentarily forgot about the argument, forgot about Harry, Hogwarts and the world, and were about to embrace. It was short-lived however, as Hermione cut herself out of it and thought as her rational self again.

"Well he's my best friend, and if he gets hurt I'll never forgive you," she said firmly. Draco seemed disappointed when the subject returned to Harry again, but nodded nonetheless.

"I completely understand. In-case you'd forgotten, _my_ best friend has been gravely hurt, and hence the reason for my passionate desire for justice," Draco began in amusement.

"Yes, I _understand_ that as well, but..." Hermione sighed, not knowing what to say or where to go from there. There was simply no way of agreeing in the situation that they were in. All they could really do was agree to disagree, let the inevitable happen and aim to not let anything like this happen again in the future.

"As I said, just relax and let whatever happens happen. My head hurts thinking about all of this, and the rest of them are going to be here any second," said Draco grudgingly, since the last period was over and dinner was being prepared in the Great Hall as they spoke. Most of the grade would stop by at the common room to drop off their bags before going to have dinner, and just as Draco said it the first few Ravenclaw's walked down the hallway. Hermione opened the door and walked into the common room, with only a glance at Draco, as they pretended as if they hadn't just been talking.

* * *

That night, the common room was consumed with talk about what had happened during the eventful day. Harry, Ron and Hermione were huddled up around the fire with some others such as Neville, Padma and Ernie; having no desire to converse about Harry accidentally poisoning Pansy or Hermione being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. Of course, avoiding such fascinating discussions so early in the school year was absolutely impossible. And it was especially impossible when Harry continuously received dirty looks from every Slytherin in the room. Arguments inevitably began forming, and Ron got up to join in with the shouting despite Hermione's disapproval.

"Honestly, if she really did ruin her _own potion_, then she deserved what happened to her," said Parvati loudly, causing Harry to cringe as he knew it would somehow backfire on him.

"She might end up in St. Mungo's thanks to Potter, so how about you shut!" Blaise said furiously, shooting daggers at Parvati who blushed slightly.

"It wasn't Harry's fault; he even offered to drink it if she got cold feet. I think if we look at it objectively, they were both in the wrong," said Padma, as though she were writing an essay on the topic. This enflamed Blaise even further.

"Just because he offered, that doesn't take away the fact that by ruining two potions – which in itself should have warranted a detention – he directly had her poisoned," argued Blaise.

"Well it does, because it was her decision to drink the potion, nobody forced her, thus it's nobody else's fault," Padma replied.

"She drank it because she isn't a coward," growled Blaise.

"No, she drank it because she's stupid," said Ron with a laugh.

"Coming from someone who couldn't get into Advanced Potions, yeah good one idiot," Blaise snapped back. Ron's ears went their typical red and the fight between them began to escalate dangerously, until Hermione and Ernie also decided to go and join in. Harry knew that it would eventually either spiral out of control or force him to join in, neither of which he wanted to happen. He got up from beside the fire and walked straight out of the room. The difference was incredible, inside was bright and loud and headache-inducing, whereas in the dungeon corridors it was cold, dark and strangely relaxing. In fact, he'd only been in the school for a few days and the dungeons were already beginning to grow on him a bit, but perhaps he was just happy to be back at Hogwarts. He was barely noticed as he left the common room, just as hardly anyone noticed that Draco was nowhere to be seen either. Harry assumed that he was at the Hospital Wing, checking up on Pansy, and wished with all his heart that she would wake and be fine again. The faster she recovered, the faster everyone would just forget about what happened... hopefully. And also, the faster he could apologize to her in person, as he intended to. How, when and where, he wasn't sure. Why? Not sure either. He just knew that he had to do it, for reasons he hadn't yet figured out.

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


	41. Chapter 41

**~ Draco and Hermione ~**

**by**

**Lazaraz**

_"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters._  
_We've all got both light and dark inside us._  
_What matters is the part we choose to act on._  
_That's who we really are."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K Rowling.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 41**

After dinner Draco went straight to the Hospital Wing. Blaise offered to go with him but he insisted that he go alone, as he wanted to ensure that if Pansy was awake he could explain everything that had happened since she was asleep, in his own words. He didn't want her finding out from the wrong person that his greatest fear was seeing Hermione Granger in pain. He would begin his 'master plan' of lies and deception with Pansy. This master plan simply involved him saying it was his mother Narcissa in his boggart, not Hermione. When he finally arrived at the Hospital Wing door, he took a deep breath, waited a few moments and then walked inside. Over in the corner of the wing was Pansy, thankfully sitting upright in bed eating dinner under golden lamplight. A small house elf stood beside her proudly, and she looked incredibly happy. As he approached her, she beamed.

"About time you visited! I swear the best part about being in the Hospital Wing is house elves, I feel like a princess," Pansy squeaked cheerfully.

"Why you are a princess, miss!" the female house elf squeaked, sounding almost just like her. Pansy smiled brightly.

"Don't get too excited, you almost look like Granger with her S.P.E.W badges," Draco said with a smirk as he reached her and sat in the bedside chair. Pansy burst out laughing, momentarily putting down her knife and fork to catch her breath.

"Miss Hermione is a good witch, I hope you don't mean to insult her!" squeaked the house elf, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Truth be told, the only thing I have ever liked about that mudblood was her silly love of house elves, because they are awesome. For your sake Winky, I won't say anything mean about her though," said Pansy as she continued eating. The elf frowned at the word '_mudblood_', but Pansy's compliment seemed to make up for it.

"You always were too fond of Dobby when you came over for the summer, it was probably the weirdest thing about you," said Draco in amusement.

"You were always too cruel to him! Well, no, your dad was more cruel I think," Pansy paused to think about it.

"Yeah, father was worse."

"Yep. Well, I'm alive! Aren't you excited?" Pansy said, almost jumping out of her bed in giddiness. Draco raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing that she was acting a bit more bubbly than usual.

"I'm a bit high on some pain-killer potion Pomfrey gave me, because I was hurting a bit when I woke up," Pansy explained briefly, reading his facial expression immediately. It made him realize yet again how well they knew each other.

"When _did_ you wake up?" asked Draco curiously.

"Approximately an hour and a half ago," Pansy replied proudly, as though it were some sort of record for being the fastest to wake up out of a magical coma.

"Good, Snape said if you were asleep any longer than forty-eight hours you'd have been sent to St Mungo's," said Draco.

"Lucky I'm awake then! So, tell me everything I missed, ready set go!" said Pansy quickly as she continued eating ravenously.

"Me and the others are plotting to get revenge on Potter. Our Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Lupin was a boggart lesson. My boggart was my mother being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, some Gryffindor's are saying it was Granger but they're lying. Quidditch tryouts are next week and I'll make sure you, Greg, Vince and Blaise are on the team. Also next monday is my Potions thing," Draco listed quickly, playing along with Pansy's temporarily hyperactive mood.

"Wow your boggart was Narcissa? That's horrible! Why on earth would those gits say it's the mudblood? And good because I really want to beat Potter this year. And you don't sound very enthusiastic about the Potions thing," answered Pansy rapidly. Draco grinned as he prepared himself for the night-long discussion which was inevitably about to unfold, realizing that as long as he still had his Slytherin friends, the year at Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Harry walked out of the common room with the invisibility cloak, feeling a sense of nostalgia as the icy night air cut through the fabric of his pajamas and his feet were silent against the tiles of the corridors. It had been years since he last snuck out of the common room to go do something against the school rules. The thing he was planning to do made his heart pound from nervousness. He still didn't know why he was going to do it. He supposed it was just the right thing to do, and he still couldn't rid himself of the guilt. It didn't take long to arrive at the Hospital Wing, as it was on the first floor and his new common room was in the dungeons. He stood outside the entrance, tucked the invisibility cloak tighter around himself and walked inside. He saw Pansy at the far end of the Hospital Wing, sitting up wide awake in bed, her face illuminated by a dull night lamp. He froze in his spot, not exactly expecting to see her awake and finding himself unsure of how to approach her. It was a good thing that she was awake, the plan was to say sorry after all. He watched as she tucked a strand of messy jet back hair behind her ear, sighed, and closed whatever book she was attempting to read.

'_She's mean, narcissistic and is a git to everyone around her. You're here to apologize for almost accidentally seriously injuring her, that's it_,' Harry thought to himself firmly. He took a deep breath and pulled the cloak off of himself, but the Slytherin girl didn't notice him, as she was staring at nothing in particular. She actually looked nice when she didn't have a sneer plastered to her face.

"_Lumos_," Harry muttered, lighting up his wand and casting a blue-white glow across the Hospital Wing. Pansy jumped in surprise and screamed briefly, but when she saw that it was 'just Potter' she calmed down and frowned.

"What on _earth_ are you doing?" she hissed.

"Why the hell did you scream?" snapped Harry in response.

"Because some stranger materialized out of nowhere at one o'clock in the morning, that's why! You didn't answer my question Potter," said Pansy as she glared at him.

"I'm here to apologize. Pretend you're alone," said Harry quickly as he threw the invisibility cloak back over himself. As he vanished out of thin air, Pansy looked rather intrigued at what he'd said and was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey.

"Are you okay dear? Is anyone here?" the elderly lady asked.

"No I'm fine, it was just a dream," Pansy lied with a highly convincing dazed voice and expression.

"Okay. Well you let me know if you need anything," said Madam Pomfrey as she returned to her room. Once she was inside and had closed the door, Harry waited a few more moments and then pulled the cloak off again.

"_Lumos_," he muttered a second time, causing Pansy to flinch slightly at the bright light but she didn't scream. As he moved over to her she was smirking.

"So you came all this way in the middle of the night just to apologize to me?" she asked smugly.

"Well I wasn't going to do it in front of everyone else," said Harry defensively.

"And what if I tell everyone?" Pansy mused.

"You won't and besides, I haven't even done it yet and that's not the only reason I came," said Harry firmly.

"Well, I'm waiting," said Pansy, with the hint of a smile as Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry for ruining the potions, which indirectly almost put you in St. Mungos," said Harry, choosing his words carefully and putting emphasis on the fact that it wasn't entirely his fault. She caught on immediately and grinned.

"I'll take your apology into consideration. And why else did you come?" she asked curiously.

"You won't like what's coming next," said Harry.

"I doubt it's worse than having a Gryffindor come see to me in the middle of the night," sneered Pansy, although it sounded more like a friendly joke than an actual insult.

"Professor McGonagall gave me two weeks of detention, and you one week, with Snape. It starts as soon as you're able to go to class again," said Harry, expecting her to be furious. Her eyes definitely narrowed at first and she looked rather annoyed, but her face immediately transformed into a stunning smile.

"Oh well, it's not like I haven't been in detention before," she said with a cheery shrug.

"I know you're acting," Harry said, unconvinced.

"I'm not acting, wanna know why? Because if you're telling the truth, I'm going to make your life hell during those detentions," said Pansy, her eyes glowing with dark amusement.

"No need, I'm sure Snape'll do that just fine," said Harry grudgingly.

"So, why did you really come here?" asked Pansy curiously.

"Because it was the right thing to do-"

"No, that's not why. That's what you tell yourself, but there's always a hidden agenda," continued Pansy knowingly.

"Not everyone acts in Slytherin-like self-interest, actually," said Harry irritably, causing her to laugh derisively.

"Everyone acts out of self-interest, it's human nature," Pansy stated.

"Okay then if you're so smart, what is my '_hidden agenda_'?" asked Harry, feeling rather annoyed at being held up when he probably should have been leaving.

"I'm not claiming to be smart, but I know boys. And I know that your '_agenda_' is either, you feel guilty and you've come here to relieve that guilt, which is still self-interest as your motivation is still to benefit yourself, not just me. Or you like me and this is an excuse to talk to me without anyone finding out. Or perhaps it's both reasons," Pansy concluded with a smirk.

"It's obviously the first one," said Harry firmly as he folded his arms dismissively.

"I'm sure," Pansy replied with an unconvinced smirk.

"Whatever, believe what you want to believe," snapped Harry irritably.

"Oh I will," Pansy purred, an undeniably seductive tone which Harry was momentarily spellbound by. For a split second all he could think about was how strikingly similar she was to him, in appearance of course. Her emerald green eyes and jet black hair equaled his, and with some round glasses and a less snarky attitude, they could even be twins.

"I never knew that '_The Boy Who Lived_' was capable of ogling a Slytherin girl," Pansy went on.

"I'm not ogling, I'm just tired," Harry argued.

"Okay then, believe what you want to believe," Pansy mimicked him, her noticeably emerald eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I will. Have fun reading your Potions textbook, not that it'll help," he said to change the subject, as he noticed that she'd been reading it when he came in. Pansy laughed at the obvious jest behind his words as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, appearing completely at ease with the situation. There was a short, contemplative silence as they took each other in. What on earth was going on? They were meant to ardently hate each other as their Houses mandated, not casually chat at one o'clock in the morning. Pansy was about to speak again but the sound of footsteps resounded throughout the Hospital Wing, and within a heartbeat the Gryffindor boy had vanished as swiftly as he'd appeared.

* * *

Days passed since Harry's midnight adventure and the atmosphere of Hogwarts settled down slightly, despite the events which had occurred. Everyone continued going to class and doing their homework, and by saturday of the first week of school the Eighth Year common room had finally developed a sense of routine and commonality. Hermione had hopes that perhaps they had overcome their initial '_House warfare_', but she knew that it was only because Pansy was still in the Hospital Wing and Draco was frequently absent to keep her company. Those two key Slytherin's were often the cause of most conflict, as Pansy constantly bitched and moaned and everyone just hated Draco due to his reputation. In addition, they seemed the two most stereotypically '_Slytherin_' by nature. Without them, Blaise, Theo, Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle often stayed in their bedchambers and didn't come out to the actual common room. This was mainly due to the fact that they lacked protection in numbers; but also because Ron and a few others made it absolutely clear that the Slytherin's weren't sitting at the fire or the comfortable lounges.

"Are you coming? Come on, the others are leaving!" shouted Ron from the entrance to the common room.

"Hermione's still getting ready, we'll catch up," Harry answered, as he leaned against the Gryffindor bedchambers entrance to wait for her. Ron nodded, and headed out of the common room to catch up with Dean, Neville and Seamus. It was odd, seeing that Ron would instead prefer to go with them than wait for Hermione, like he always used to, like they always used to. They had only just finished their first week of school, and Harry realized how naive he had been to assume that things would return to the way they used to be, after everything that had happened. Things would _never_ return to the way they used to be. Not now.

"Harry?" asked Hermione, causing him to jump and notice that she'd been talking to him. She looked concerned, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking," said Harry shortly as he led the way out of the common room.

"Thinking about...?" Hermione probed curiously.

"About how things are never going to be the same," answered Harry uneasily.

"I know, I've felt the same way. Where's Ron?" asked Hermione as they headed along the dimly lighted dungeons towards the first floor.

"He went with Dean and Neville and them," Harry explained, causing the bushy-haired girl beside him to frown slightly as she no doubt thought the same things he had moments previously.

"And Ginny?"

"Dunno."

"You two are still going out, right?"

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry snapped, with a hint of irritability, causing her to stop walking.

"What's on your mind?" Hermione demanded as they halted at the exit of the dungeons.

"Nothing, it's not important."

"Harry, we're best friends. You can tell me," said Hermione concernedly.

"Can I? Because you haven't been telling me much lately," came Harry's abrupt reply.

"About what?" asked Hermione in exasperation.

"Ron and Ginny may not have noticed, but I know something is still going on between you and Malfoy," said Harry firmly, catching Hermione by surprise.

"Even if there was, it wouldn't be any of your business," said Hermione, choosing her words carefully.

"It kind of is my business, given the fact that he's plotting to get revenge on me."

"He isn't plotting anything elaborate or horrific," said Hermione without thinking, but the moment the words left her mouth she knew she shouldn't have said them.

"So you know!" snapped Harry, aghast.

"Well, yes, but it wasn't a big deal, I forgot to-"

"Malfoy planning revenge on your best friend isn't a big deal, I see how it is," said Harry furiously as he continued walking.

"He just said it would be a bludger in Quidditch or something, like he always used to do! Harry wait," Hermione insisted as she hurried after his quicker pace.

"Don't you get it? You might not realize it, but you and him complicate everything!" Harry hissed in frustration.

"What happened to what you told me at the Burrow? According to Sirius, _'We've all got both light and dark inside us. __What matters is the part we choose to act on.'_"

"I still believe that, I believe Malfoy and Snape aren't completely evil despite how much I dislike them, but that doesn't change the fact that your relationship with him and all the secrecy is causing us three to drift apart," Harry argued, referring to the way in which Ron seemed to be drifting apart from them. There was a slight pause as understanding dawned on Hermione's face and they both quickly glanced around to ensure that they weren't being overheard. Thankfully, they were the only people in the corridor and most of the older students had already gone to Hogsmeade. Hermione took a deep breath, not knowing what to say.

"I don't know what you expect me to do, Harry. I can't control who I have feelings for, I can't just end it with him. How would you feel if I asked you to end it with Ginny, just because I didn't like her?" asked Hermione defensively.

"I'm not saying you have to end it with him. Just... promise that you'll tell me next time he's plotting to hit me with a bludger, promise you won't snog him or do anything stupid," said Harry awkwardly, causing Hermione to blush.

"I'm not stupid and I'm not like that, Harry. We're not even dating, we're close friends at most because we barely have any opportunity to talk," explained Hermione quickly, and it was actually the truth since they hadn't been talking much since arriving in Hogwarts.

"I know but see what I mean? I have no idea what's going on between you two or what you're hiding, I hate being stuck in the middle of you and Ron and having to keep all this a secret," said Harry in frustration.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot that you knew this much and didn't think anything of it. Of course I'll tell you what's going on in the future, and if we ever do decide to... take our relationship a step further, so to speak," said Hermione, going red and cringing at the awkwardness, "we'll be dating in public by then, or not at all."

This was something Hermione hadn't explicitly thought about for a while, but it made sense now that she considered it. At that current moment and time, she and Draco were close friends. They'd kissed only once before, and that felt like ages ago. They had limited opportunities to communicate, and so their 'relationship' was not exactly at its strongest point. If Draco wanted to snog her or do anything which was considered 'beyond close friends', she would only agree to it if they were openly dating with no secrets. The idea reminded her of 'no sex until marriage', except it was more like, 'no nothing until we're official'. It definitely made more sense when she thought of it this way. Harry nodded for a moment, looking rather relieved. The sense of clarification definitely made life easier, but he still felt that Hogwarts wouldn't be the same and the year ahead of them was clouded with uncertainty. Nevertheless, they left the dungeons and headed off to Hogsmeade, hopeful that at least the magical village with Honeydukes and Zonko's would be the same as it had been when they were little.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

I know I'm a git for not uploading in so long! It's just that this plotline is getting difficult to manage because I have so much stuff I want to write, but I'm not sure how to go about it. And I want to keep the storyline at a decent pace - not too slow to be boring, but not too fast to become unrealistic either. I'm incredibly busy in real life and just genuinely lack time to write, and the last 600 words of this chapter took me FOREVER to get right. I've got holidays coming up, and I'll try to write more then and maybe clean up the old chapters a bit. But I can't promise anything!

**Questions for reviewers!**

- What's your general opinion of the story so far, do you like the pace and what's happening?

- What are some things that you would like to happen?

* * *

Thank you for reading! New chapters are uploaded every weekend. If you liked this chapter/ story so far, please feel free to review and add to alerts/favourites! :)


End file.
